It is pure joy to watch Americans enjoying nature and a natural setting.
The Department of the Interior (click here) today announced that the National Park Service will distribute $192 million to local communities through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant program, which enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved areas. In order to increase the program’s flexibility, the Department also announced new programmatic changes to the program.
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz announced the updates while touring Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan, today, which previously received a combined $1.075 million in ORLP grants to fund two projects: the recently completed Belle Isle Park Athletic Complex and a perimeter multi-use loop trail, the first phase of which was completed in April 2022.
“The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program is essential to expand our communities’ connections to urban green spaces, where children can play, families can connect, and a love and appreciation for the outdoors can be nurtured,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The funding and programmatic changes we are announcing today will allow for us to support bigger ideas and more communities in their pursuit of creating more parks and places to get outside for every American."
Changes to program eligibility requirements include decreasing the city size cap from 50,000 to 30,000 residents; removing the requirement for cities to be in a Census-designated Urban Area boundary; and increasing the maximum grant amount from $5 million to $10 million....
Urban parks add to the quality of life and improve mental health.
December 6, 2021
By Laura Oleniacz
Declines in outdoor activities and park use (click here) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were linked to reductions in mental health measures for teens and young adults from middle school through college, according to two new studies led by North Carolina State University researchers.
The studies build evidence for the mental health benefits of nature’s medicine – and the potential hazards of restricting access, researchers say.
“This is an opportunity for anyone concerned about the health and well-being of future generations to focus on the power of parks when it comes to mental health promotion, and to figure out what we can do to make sure all segments of the population have access to enjoy the health-related benefits that parks can provide,” said Lincoln Larson, an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State.
Larson was the lead author of a study looking at factors linked to emotional distress in college students. Published in the journal Environmental Research, the study involved a survey of 1,280 college students at four large public universities in the United States, including at NC State. Researchers wanted to understand why and how students’ outdoor recreation and park use changed in March through May of 2020, and how that related to their mental health. They asked students to rate their use of parks and other outdoor spaces and their levels of emotional distress before and during the pandemic.
They found 54% of students said they reduced their park use during the pandemic, and about two-thirds reduced outdoor activities. College students who were more worried about COVID-19 were more likely to limit outdoor recreation. Students who identified as Asian or Black were more likely to limit their park use than students of other ethnicities or races.
“It is becoming apparent that historically marginalized populations are having an even harder time enjoying the benefits that come from outdoor recreation during the pandemic,” Larson said....
By Laura Oleniacz
Declines in outdoor activities and park use (click here) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were linked to reductions in mental health measures for teens and young adults from middle school through college, according to two new studies led by North Carolina State University researchers.
The studies build evidence for the mental health benefits of nature’s medicine – and the potential hazards of restricting access, researchers say.
“This is an opportunity for anyone concerned about the health and well-being of future generations to focus on the power of parks when it comes to mental health promotion, and to figure out what we can do to make sure all segments of the population have access to enjoy the health-related benefits that parks can provide,” said Lincoln Larson, an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State.
Larson was the lead author of a study looking at factors linked to emotional distress in college students. Published in the journal Environmental Research, the study involved a survey of 1,280 college students at four large public universities in the United States, including at NC State. Researchers wanted to understand why and how students’ outdoor recreation and park use changed in March through May of 2020, and how that related to their mental health. They asked students to rate their use of parks and other outdoor spaces and their levels of emotional distress before and during the pandemic.
They found 54% of students said they reduced their park use during the pandemic, and about two-thirds reduced outdoor activities. College students who were more worried about COVID-19 were more likely to limit outdoor recreation. Students who identified as Asian or Black were more likely to limit their park use than students of other ethnicities or races.
“It is becoming apparent that historically marginalized populations are having an even harder time enjoying the benefits that come from outdoor recreation during the pandemic,” Larson said....
It is all good and important use of American's funding for natural areas and the satisfaction of knowing natural history.
Channel Islands National Park (click here)
Ventura, Calif. - During a visit to Channel Islands National Park today, (click here) Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland celebrated the Department of the Interior’s commitment of close to $100,000 in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The park’s ecosystem restoration project will rehabilitate and improve safety on trails, as well as protect archeological and natural resources on Santa Cruz Island. The project will be carried out in partnership with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
“Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are advancing partnerships between the federal government and Tribes to support access to clean air, clean water and a better environment for future generations,” said Assistant Secretary Newland. “As we make essential investments through this transformative law to conserve ecosystems, mitigate the risk of wildland fire and maintain our national parks, the support and ingenuity of local partners and Tribes who know these natural treasures best is critical.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $1.4 billion for ecosystem restoration efforts over the next five years, building on proven projects, programs and partnerships that conserve our cherished wildlife and natural resources critical to supporting local economies, creating jobs and strengthening communities.
The project funding announced today will be carried out under a Task Agreement with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, engaging their Fire Department in trail construction and their Cultural department in resources protection. The project will work to protect natural and archeological areas and enhance visitor experience and public safety by improving corridors and trail conditions on three miles of the park's most heavily used trails as well close and restore approximately 1,000 feet of unapproved trails. The project will also protect native plant communities and areas with archaeological resources while adapting existing historic routes for accessible and safe public access.
Ventura, Calif. - During a visit to Channel Islands National Park today, (click here) Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland celebrated the Department of the Interior’s commitment of close to $100,000 in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The park’s ecosystem restoration project will rehabilitate and improve safety on trails, as well as protect archeological and natural resources on Santa Cruz Island. The project will be carried out in partnership with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
“Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are advancing partnerships between the federal government and Tribes to support access to clean air, clean water and a better environment for future generations,” said Assistant Secretary Newland. “As we make essential investments through this transformative law to conserve ecosystems, mitigate the risk of wildland fire and maintain our national parks, the support and ingenuity of local partners and Tribes who know these natural treasures best is critical.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $1.4 billion for ecosystem restoration efforts over the next five years, building on proven projects, programs and partnerships that conserve our cherished wildlife and natural resources critical to supporting local economies, creating jobs and strengthening communities.
As part of the President’s America the Beautiful Initiative, (click here) the Biden-Harris Administration today launched an interagency effort, called the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR), that will work to create more safe, affordable, and equitable opportunities for Americans to get outdoors.
The FICOR – which includes leaders from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Defense – will focus on improving access to nature, expanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and providing the public with improved and more affordable experiences on America’s public lands and waters.
Increasing access to outdoor recreation is one of the six areas of focus outlined in President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative. The FICOR will help coordinate policies, facilitate partnerships, and improve implementation on issues such as:...
