Eppley Institute

Our Connection to Parks

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:23:19 +0800

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This is the first in a series of blogs that describes how park and recreation services connect to our everyday lives. For many of us, parks and recreation played a pivotal role in our upbringing. Today, we see connections between parks and recreation as a concept to topics like environmental protection, personal physical fitness, sense of community, economic vitality, and overall quality of life are direct benefits provided by these services.

There are many reasons people are drawn to parks, and many reasons why play in parks is encouraged. In the 1917 volume of Play Movement and Its Significance, author Henry Curtis argued that one reason to encourage open-air play time for children was to reduce the risk of death from tuberculosis. Curtis wrote, "It is estimated that from six to seven thousand school children die each year from tuberculosis. Almost all of these deaths would be prevented if these children were having the proper amount of open-air play."

While today we understand that open-air play cannot prevent tuberculosis, we do know more about the importance of play and parks. People tend to focus on the physical health benefits of playing and going to parks, but we are learning more about the added emotional and mental benefits as well. As the daughter of a National Park Service ranger, I was blessed to grow up in parks and have many fond memories of time spent with my family learning about new places and just playing on playgrounds. Now, as an adult, I can fully recognize and appreciate the physical and mental benefits of these opportunities. I also know this is where my love of the outdoors came from.

Over the next few months, we'll be featuring blogs by Eppley Institute staff members and guest writers sharing their stories and favorite memories of time spent in parks, and we'd love to hear from you as well. Please share stories in the comments, and if you have a particular memory you'd like to share as a guest writer, please contact Nona Capps at nfcapps@indiana.edu. We want to hear from you!

National Park Service Facility Manager Leaders Program Class #7

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:22:46 +0800

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The award-winning Facility Manager Leaders Program (FMLP), jointly developed and managed by the National Park Service and the Eppley Institute, just kicked off its seventh class in�San Antonio, Texas, in May of 2013.

The students, NPS employees who are selected through a highly competitive process, are just beginning their year-long journey to learn (with the help of their mentors) about facility management, leadership, sustainability, resource management, and supervision.

The FMLP was

Urban Trail Systems: Expanding the Public Health Conversation

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:02:03 +0800

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Public health has become a buzz word in the parks and recreation field. A growing concern across the nation is health, both in an individual and community sense. One concern with parks and recreation professionals is being able to articulate how parks and recreation contribute to or promote public health. With budget cuts becoming the norm for city government agencies nationwide, it is critical to effectively convey how they impact public health.

In recent years, many cities have undertaken the construction of rail trails. Rail trails are disused railway easements that have been converted into multi-use paths, typically used for walking, running, and biking. These trails promote not only individual health but also an overall sense of community.

Bloomington is not the only city in the area that has constructed a multi-use path. The Eppley Institute is currently conducting a trail-use study for Columbus, Indiana, involving the use of trail cameras. The People Trails network boasts over 19 miles of trail access for Columbus residents. The project commenced last September, and the goal of the study is to inform decisions regarding where to expand the People Trails network based on use areas and trends. Depending on your viewpoint, some cities feel like concrete jungles with road systems that are flooded with vehicles. Multi-use paths or corridors also promote non-motorized transportation. For example, our city of Bloomington, Indiana, recently finished constructing the B-Line Trail, a 3.1-mile trail that connects to an additional 4.4 miles of trails. Now, residents can bike to work, the store, parks, and other major destinations within Bloomington.

Additionally, the Eppley Institute is working with the City of Boulder, Colorado, Parks and Recreation Department to update their master plan. Extensive civic engagement and topical research revealed that the accessibility of recreation facilities, programs, and services was a major concern. Boulder is home to a large network of open space and parkland. A critical component of their overall park system is the connections, or modalities, by which residents can access these incredible resources. Multi-use paths and other hard-surface travel corridors promote physical health while supporting Boulder's already established sense of community.

It is important to note that the projects mentioned above all impact public health. Although there was no mention of partnerships with local health systems (e.g., hospitals, clinics, etc.), these kinds of partnerships do exist. For example, the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, South Carolina, partnered with the area hospital system to produce signage along the trail. These signs help users understand the important health benefits they receive (and promote in others) when they use the trail for transportation and exercise.

Public health is all around us and includes everything, especially the local parks and recreation system. Urban trails, such as the ones mentioned above, are only one way in which parks and recreation agencies can articulate their importance to a community's public health.

Creating Healthy Lifestyle Opportunities in Boulder, CO

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:16:44 +0800

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This is the first in a series of blogs about how park and recreation services relate to public health. Environmental protection, personal physical fitness, sense of community, economic vitality, and overall quality of life are direct benefits provided by these services. In this blog, we explore how the work of the Eppley Institute is affecting the future of public health in Boulder, CO.

When the City of Boulder, CO, required their Parks and Recreation Department (BPRD) to create a master plan, they called upon the expertise of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands. In short, the master plan will guide development of the department while engaging the Boulder community in the process. In order to determine the needs of such a diverse community, the Eppley team conducted a statistically representative survey that gathered the thoughts of members of the Boulder public. Here is what the people of Boulder thought:

72% of the survey responders thought it was very important for BPRD to promote physical and mental wellbeing.

The community of Boulder puts great value on physical fitness. As a result, many citizens of Boulder look to the public services provided by BPRD to meet their health needs. These services include public parks and playgrounds, as well as many great recreational programs such as dance, yoga, soccer, and basketball. What's particularly exciting is that Eppley's research ensures that BPRD can continue to offer these services to the community and thereby promote a healthy lifestyle.

76% of the survey responders relied on BPRD to enhance their overall quality of life.

I can think of few better ways to address the needs of the public. No matter our age, race, or socioeconomic status, the promise of a good quality of life is the reason we go to work, provide for our families, and do all that we can every day. A good quality of life is deserved by all and is essential to the health of an individual as well as that of the community.
You can learn more about the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Master Plan at http://boulder.parksandrecplan.org/.

Implications for Management Education

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:09:47 +0800

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Management. This term has been propelled into academia from field practice and has gained much attention in recent years. I came across an article a few weeks ago that discussed management in terms that were unfamiliar to me, and so it caught my attention. Its title, "The Elusiveness of Applied Management Knowledge: A Critical Challenge for Management Educators," brings two things to mind: first, that applying management knowledge is difficult in practice; and, second, that there are implications for educators who train managers.

The article explains that, first and foremost, management is not a standalone profession. The authors mention that the management body of knowledge has not yet been codified, trained, and reinforced in the first place. I can agree with this statement, since management is an all-encompassing term and therefore includes many different types of management positions from different industries. However, this got me thinking about some of the training and education we (Eppley) provide.

Since 2006, the Eppley Institute has coordinated and taught the Facility Manager Leaders Program (FMLP) for the National Park Service's (NPS) Park Facility Management Division (PFMD). Acronym much? I digress. Anyway, the authors state, "Specifically with respect to the transfer of management knowledge, a number of influential scholars have lamented that relationships between formal classroom management education and demonstration of those skills on the job are disturbingly low" (pp. 586). This thought is not only relevant to management professionals; it is also extremely important for the Eppley Institute.

We (Eppley) have been asked by the NPS to conduct a Return on Investment (ROI) evaluation for the FMLP program. What timing! The FMLP educates professionals who are actually part of a growing profession - facility management. Our evaluation of the FMLP since 2006 will hopefully be able to provide information that can aid the relatively new "management education to practice" research being produced in academia.

My discussion has only scratched the surface of the information found in the article. I encourage management educators, professionals, and students to read the article for themselves, as it sparks interesting thoughts and may inspire readers to contribute to this discussion of management and the transfer of conceptual knowledge to applied knowledge.

Please click here for a PDF of the article.

Citation

Baldwin, T. T., Pierce, J. R., Joines, R. C., & Farouk, S. (2011). The elusiveness of applied management knowledge: A critical challenge for management educators. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(4), pp. 583-605.

Asset Priority Index (API) E-course Launched

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:41:33 +0800

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The Eppley Institute has completed and launched the new Asset Priority Index (API) e-course, which was developed in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and will replace the older version of the e-course.

Developed in response to major changes made to API criteria in 2012, the new e-course allows facility management personnel to learn about API scores and practice scoring assets before doing it for real. The e-course is available to everyone (free of charge!) on our website. All

Overhauled Minimum Requirements Analysis E-Courses Released

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:01:13 +0800

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Wilderness specialists and wilderness managers have a new tool in their toolbox. Featuring highly interactive content and real skills training, the Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) e-courses are the newest additions to Eppley's training portfolio. Eppley's long-term partnership with the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center has led to a marriage of expert content with state-of-the-art learning techniques.

Originally a single course, the MRA e-course has been split into two

The Grand Canyon Revealed via Google Maps

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:25:08 +0800

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A recent blog post titled "Forget Hiking! Google Maps Hits the Grand Canyon" asks whether new technology makes it too easy to be an "armchair" hiker. Having been to the Grand Canyon a few times, and having watched my daughter and her friends see this indescribable sight for the first time, leaving them speechless, I am just a bit conflicted.

Google Maps has just released panoramic photos recording more than 75 miles within the Grand Canyon. You can visit the Kaibab Trail, see the Colorado River, and hike the Bright Angel Trail - all without leaving your comfy couch or chair.

For those planning a trip, these photos will most certainly be a help. And they make it possible for those of us who cannot afford a trip right now to experience - virtually - one of the great wonders of the world.

But might these photos allow us to forget why it's important to experience the Grand Canyon firsthand - and why it's necessary to preserve such places for future generations? As Wallace Stegner, a noted author and environmentalist, wrote some time ago, "Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed ... We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in."

While the Grand Canyon is not official wilderness, it is certainly "wild."
What do you think?

Celebrating Earth Day

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:43:15 +0800

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It's Earth Day! How are you planning to commemorate this day?

Maybe take mass transportation to work or share a ride with someone
Start recycling or composting program at your workplace
Or something as simple as turning off lights in rooms that aren't in use.

Here is what one community did: Milton, Massachusetts, is a small community not far from Boston. A small advocacy organization called "Sustainable Milton" sponsored a "Recycle Art Challenge."

From their website:

Did you know that your recycling bin is a treasure trove of art supplies??? To help celebrate Earth Day 2013, Sustainable Milton and Artspace Milton are collaborating to produce an event, The Recycle Art Challenge! Dig into your recycling bin and create a unique piece of art. Let your imagination go wild! Students are encouraged to create works of art using recycled materials. Bring your work to our Earth Day Celebration at Turner's Pond on Sunday April 21, 1:00 pm. Prizes will be awarded for creativity.

We have been collecting water bottles from Fitness Unlimited and Milton Hill Sport & Spa, as well as from Glover School, and people in the community. We estimate the "art piece" will include over 1,200-1,500 water bottles, which is the number of plastic water bottles used per second in the US!

The beauty of the structure is juxtaposed to the reality it represents- that 1,500 bottles end up in a landfill every second in America.

The National Park Service and Sequestration

eppley@indiana.edu (Eppley Institute) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:22:59 +0800

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At midnight on Friday, March 1, 2013, the sequestration on government spending went into effect. The National Park Service is just one of the many agencies impacted by the sequester. NPS Director Jon Jarvis shared how the parks will be affected by the sequestration in a video posted by CBS.

National parks have a huge economic impact on their local communities. According to the report titled Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Service Visitation, 2011, "the National Park System received 278.9 million recreation visits in 2011. Park visitors spent $12.95 billion in local gateway regions (within roughly 60 miles of the park). Visitors staying overnight outside the park (in motels, hotels, cabins, and bed and breakfasts) accounted for 54.9% of the total spending. About half (48%) of the spending was for lodging and meals, 21.4% for gas and local transportation, 9.7% for recreation and entertainment, 8.1% for groceries, and 12.7% for other retail purchases."

The report goes on to state that "contribution of this park visitor spending to the national economy amounted to 251,600 jobs, $9.34 billion in labor income, and $16.50 billion in value added. The direct effects of visitor spending are measured at the local level in gateway regions around national parks. Local economic impacts were estimated after excluding spending by park visitors from the local area (9.8% of the total spending). Combining local impacts across all parks yielded a total local impact (including direct and secondary effects) of 162,400 jobs, $4.58 billion in labor income, and $8.15 billion value added. The four local economic sectors most directly affected by non-local visitor spending are lodging, restaurants, retail trade, and recreation and entertainment. Their spending supported 45,200 jobs in restaurants and bars, 34,100 jobs in lodging sectors, 15,500 jobs in retail and wholesale trade, and 20,000 jobs in recreation and entertainment."

In addition to the economic impact, many parks will not be able to open access roads until later in the season, if at all; special events will be canceled; over 2,000 seasonals will not be hired; interpretive programs will be offered far less frequently, if at all; and restrooms will be closed due to lack of staff to clean them. All of this means the American people will have less access to their national parks. You can read more about the on-the-ground impacts on the Park Advocate page from the National Parks Conservation Association.