Our President
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A Message From our president... After leaving St. George this year, I felt energized by vide critical manpower to preserve habitats for humans, wild- my interactions with the professionals of URPA and life and plants. Parks and recreation volunteer board mem- their drive to play a vital role in the social, economic bers, coaches, weed pullers and garbage collectors, all and physical well-being of our parks and residents in demonstrate admirable civic pride and ownership of their our communities. It’s easy to see community. that our organizations are mov- “This is what we do in This is what we do in Parks and ing away from a central focus on Recreation. We promote com- maintenance of public lands and Parks and Recreation. munity engagement, get people recreational activities, to dynam- We promote community active and connected to their ic institutions that contribute to community. That was my take community cohesion, public engagement, get people away from the classes I attended health, economic development, and from networking with all of and protection of our natural active and connected to you at conference this year. resources. their community. “ With a robust collaboration be- One of the sessions I attended tween our parks, recreation, on community involvement cemetery, open through volunteer work, demonstrated how com- space programs, volunteers and stakehold- munity cleanup efforts connect individuals of all ers; our service quality and public spaces ages and ethnic backgrounds with a shared vision can be leveraged to maximize this essential for the betterment of their surroundings. Volun- product we provide to our community, city, teers in our network of parks and open spaces pro- county and state. -President Kristin Riker Inside this issue 2016 URPA Awards Adaptive Programs Leadership Academy Hershey Track & Field Lifeguard Games Park Benefit Awareness State Park Highlights Vendor Advertisements National Recreation and Park Association ASHBURN, VA., Jan. 19, 2016 (GLOBE "What's truly amazing about the NEWSWIRE) -- Americans have a passion- results of this new study is that ate and unwavering support for local and despite the ever-increasing de- community parks according to a new study mands for our attention in an commissioned by the National Recreation oversaturated world of data, and Park Association (NRPA) and conduct- parks and recreation is still a ed by The Pennsylvania State University. highly-valued and essential part They see local park and recreation services of our communities," said Barba- as a valuable part of their communities ra Tulipane, NRPA President and with 83 percent stating that they personal- CEO. "Providing places for Ameri- ly benefit from local parks and 92 percent cans to get healthy, engage with stating that their communities benefit nature and connect with each from these services. Even a majority of other offline is now more im- non-users saw a benefit from these ser- portant than ever and people vices. recognize that." Americans' Broad-Based Support for Local "During the last quarter century, Recreation and Park Services is an update America changed in ways that to a study originally conducted in 1992 by might lead one to believe that The Pennsylvania State University. From support for local government 1992 to the present, much has changed — park and recreation services Americans are older, better educated, would decline. That belief turns more diverse and urbanized, and more out to be false. If anything, Ameri- technologically advanced. What has not cans' use of and support for these changed, however, is how people, regard- services actually increased," said An- with the earlier 1992 study. less of age, income or political affiliation, drew Mowen, lead study investigator. remain passionate about and supportive Working with colleagues Alan Graefe, Americans agree that their parks are bene- of their local park and recreation services. Austin Barrett and Geoffrey Godbey, ficial and worth investing in. In an environ- the Penn State research team was ment where public agencies are forced to able to draw numerous comparisons do more with less money, it is telling that 4 in 5 Americans believe their local NRPA's Three Pillars. More lieve local park and parks are well worth the average than three-quarters of recreation agencies amount of $70 per person paid in respondents agreed that provide essential local taxes every year. Even Ameri- parks and recreation services for our com- cans who don't use these services should prioritize items munities. In a time agree they are worth this invest- such as conserving the where leisure devic- ment. natural environment, offering facilities es can be carried in pockets, parks are still a and services to improve physical and priority, and Americans agree that they Americans also agree key areas of mental health, and ensuring that facili- should be funded as an essential service. focus for parks and recreation ties and programs are accessible to all should be conservation, health and members of the community. To view the full report, infographic and in- wellness, and social equity, match- teractive tools, visit www.nrpa.org/ ing the priorities highlighted in Across demographics, Americans be- americans-support-parks. Featured park of the newsletter Do you like the outdoors, but not the camping that comes along with it? Want to be able to shower, but don’t own a trailer? Palisades State Park offers cabin rent- als online for around $60.00—$80.00 dollars a night. These cabins have running water, air conditioning, hot showers, toilets, handicapped access, fridge, micro- wave, and bunk beds. Palisades Reservoir is a great place to take a swim on the sandy beachs or just relax and take in the sun. At the main office you can also rent paddle boards and paddle boats for a nominal fee. Paddling along the shorelines is a great activity for all ages. Palisades State Park also has excellent fishing year around for rainbows, cutthroat, and the occasional lurking tiger trout. Sanpete County along Skyline Road and all its can- yons boast some of the most pristine picturesque landscapes in all of Utah. Its beautiful trails are best explored by ATV, hiking, mountain biking, or 4X4s. Palisades State Park is located just yards away from the Arapeen ATV trail. The Arapeen Trail also connects up with the world famous Paiute ATV trail. Hundreds of miles of trail await you to view some of the most amazing wildlife and scenery Utah has to offer. Is fishing and hiking not really for you? Bring your clubs on the trip and come en- joy 18 holes of golf at the beautiful golf course overlooking Manti and Sterling Canyon as well as Palisades Reservoir. Our rates are awesome for a round of golf. And when you are done, stop by the Lakeside Grill for a hamburger. Its open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Utah track and field program continues to provide opportunities for kids to compete and perform in running, jumping and throwing. The year 2014 marked the end of the Hershey track and field program. This 30+ year pro- gram was a success throughout the country with providing these opportunities to kids every- where. Local events were put together by parks and recreation departments and districts throughout the state. 1st and 2nd place winners move on to a regional meet. From this regional meet, the 1st and 2nd place finishers move on to the state meet. The culminating event was for kids to achieve a spot in their event at the national meet in Hershey, PA. With changes in place, URPA continues to provide the same experiences to kids interested in track and field. We host an annual meet once a year with qualifiers from the four regions throughout the state. There are changes made to the program. We have added a 6-8 year old, and 16-18 year old age groups. Also, we have added the shot put to the list of events, taking place of the softball throw for the older kids. A running long jump is also a competitive event for the older kids, from the stand- ing long jump. The vision of providing this sport is to contin- ue on with successful track and field sport that reaches out to each child across the state. It is a unique sport, in that we do provide a competitive state wide meet for the kids. We hope to continue to provide this opportunity and will continue to gain interest of kids throughout Utah. Scott Wardle is a graduate from the Parks and Recreation program at Utah State University. After graduating, his first job was working for the Canyon Parks in Springville, Utah for 5 years. He was there until securing a job with the Uintah Recreation District in Vernal. Scott has been there for 6 years. The last 3 years he has managed their track and field program as a coordinator for their local meet. Often times I hear other rec- a clinic on how to play the Paralympic Goalball is another sport that I’ve noticed reationGoalBall... professionals ask me, sport of sitting volleyball. Since then, a lot of patrons without disabilities enjoy- “A patron with a disability there’s been a lot of interest from ing as well. It’s a Paralympic sport for came into my center and those both with and without disabili- individuals that are blind and visually im- asked if we have any special ties to play the sport. This is great paired. Two teams are on the court with recreation programs for them because, as this sport is just starting three players to a side. Athletes play by to join. I feel bad because I to develop, we don’t have enough rolling a ball the size of a dodgeball down want them to be a part of our patrons with lower the court to try to get programs, but we are a lot -body mobility im- the ball past opposing smaller than you and I don’t pairments to start defenders and into know if there are enough pa- a team to play, but the goal.