Open Space Radio

Disclaimer: Today's episode was previously recorded and focuses on how parks can help save fireflies, which is the cover story of the April issue of Parks & Recreation magazine. We recognize some of the topics discussed on this episode are more difficult to implement at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we hope you find the topic interesting and that it will give you some ideas for the f...

Disclaimer: Today's episode was previously recorded and focuses on the importance of mentoring in parks and recreation. While we recognize some of the topics discussed on this episode are more difficult to implement at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic, we encourage you to think of creative ways you can continue to connect with your community, while following all local, state and national ord...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made its way to the U.S. and the number of people infected continues to rise, with at least 539 confirmed cases in the U.S. at the time of this recording (at the time this episode was published, numbers had been recalculated to 432 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ). As the gatekeepers of many of our na...

The March issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on this bonus episode of Open Space Radio we're diving deeper into one of the feature articles, " St. Louis: A Path Toward Equitable Design ." The article showcases the framework plan for the Chouteau Greenway in St. Louis — a $250 million greenway development. The public-private partnership spans 15 miles and 20 neighborhoods, with th...

Parks everywhere serve as a gateway to nature and the great outdoors. As stewards of these spaces, it's our responsibility to cultivate the next generation of diverse environmental leaders that will utilize and protect these spaces for generations to come. To assist park agencies with this important work, NRPA recently collaborated with renowned expert and author, Angelou Ezeilo, to host an intera...

On today's episode, we sit down with Kristine Stratton, NRPA President and CEO, and Neelay Bhatt, Vice President at PROS Consulting Inc, to discuss their presentation at the Agents of Change Summit this week. They'll be in San Diego, California, sharing how park and recreation professionals are agents of change in their communities — particularly around how they influence and change health behavio...

Today's episode is a deep dive into how one impossible situation can inspire multiple opportunities within a community. We hear from Jessica Patterson, Community Outreach Coordinator for Groton Parks and Recreation in Connecticut and Officer Heather McClelland, Community Policing Officer for the Groton Police Department. These are two truly inspirational people who came together from two different...

The February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and we recently had the opportunity to chat with Jamie Sabbach about her article, " Leading With Courage ," for this month's bonus episode. Jamie is the president and CEO of 110% Inc. and Amilia Consulting USA, and she joined us to talk about true courageous leadership, as well as explain why it is so important to the field of parks and...

On today's episode of Open Space Radio, we're going back to the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, where we met with Julianne Mills, a program manager for Disabled Sports USA . Disabled Sports USA is a national leader in community-based adaptive sports, and has focused on one goal since 1967: To improve the lives of wounded warriors, youth and adults with disabilities by providing...

Since New Year's Eve falls on the same Tuesday as the release of a new episode, we felt it would be fitting to reflect on the past year and share some of our resolutions moving into 2020. On this episode, we discuss the ways we're both going to make sure self-care is a priority in the new year. As much as it gets thrown around as a buzzword these days, it's so important, and absolutely necessary i...

Are you ready for a bonus episode of Open Space Radio? In addition to the episodes we release every other Tuesday morning, we are adding an extra episode each month that takes a deeper look at Parks & Recreation magazine's feature article. Starting with the January 2020 issue of the magazine, you can now enjoy a bonus episode of Open Space Radio and expanded content on the magazine every month! To...

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, many cities and towns are gearing up for their annual celebrations to ring in the New Year. And while there are a lot of ways you can make your celebrations special, nothing quite brings it all together like a good fireworks display. On today's episode, we're joined by two people who not only know a lot about putting on an epic fireworks display, they...

A life hack is a clever tip or technique for accomplishing a familiar task more easily and efficiently. And, with so many park and recreation professionals having to wear multiple hats — sometimes in the course of a single day — anything that can efficiently simplify a task and save time is usually welcomed pretty warmly. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're looking back at one of the questi...

As a native Washingtonian, a park and rec kid, and a long history of serving the community, Delano Hunter is well suited for the role of director of D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DCDPR). Delano says he's honored and privileged to serve the city he loves alongside some of the people who shaped him growing up, and we were honored and privileged to have him join us at NRPA headquarters rec...

Please note: This episode was recorded on the exhibit hall floor at the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference, so you may hear some background noise - it's the sound of over 8,000 passionate park and recreation advocates. "I do everything around here." "Do you think that's fair?" "I gotta go master the monkeys [bars]." These wise quotes have been in the back of Sue Yerkes's mind for much of her career. They...

When people think of outdoor recreation, their first thought may not of an urban setting. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're talking with two people who know a lot about the challenges of providing outdoor recreation opportunities in urban areas. When we were at the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore last month, we had the chance to sit down with a few of the staff from our local hos...

Today's episode of Open Space Radio is a special one because it is officially our 50th episode! It was hard to imagine having 50 episodes when we launched two years ago, but we're here and we're thriving. Open Space Radio has consistently been in the Apple charts for non-profit podcasts, and often in the top ten! The timing of our 50th episode is pretty appropriate. We just got back from the 2019...

Today's episode is a special edition of Open Space Radio — we're diving behind the scenes of the upcoming 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, which is happening September 24-26. We're releasing this episode a little earlier than we typically do, in hopes that those of you who are attending can tune in as you fly, drive or hike your way to Baltimore. For those of you who are unable...

There's a chance you've been scrolling through your social media outlet of choice, doing some online shopping or reading your favorite email newsletter, when you see an advertisement for something that seems like it's speaking directly to you. You're wondering how the all-knowing internet knows you need this thing — but it does. And you do. That's digital marketing. Digital marketing is any market...

In this episode we are taking on some listener requests for more podcasts on park and recreation programming (P.S. we'd love to hear your requests for episodes, so email Roxanne or Cort with your ideas!). Today, we're looking at intergenerational programming – what it is, how it's working in the field and how it's impacting those who participate in the programs. We interviewed three people in orde...

Three million dollars. That's how much Kyle Giersdorf just won at the Fortnite World Cup — a video game competition held at the Arthur Ashe tennis stadium in New York. That's right. He won $3 million playing video games in a place typically reserved for the US Open. eSports, or video game competitions, isn't new, but it is a growing trend . So much so that eSports is starting to make a space for i...

I think it's fair to say that many times when people enter a career field, they do so with intentions of advancing in that career and continuing to progress, learn and grow. Of course, there are those moments of complacency that can creep up, and often we're so busy with the work at hand that we don't even think about the next steps in our career. Sometimes it's just that taking that step toward y...

It's no secret that working in parks and recreation comes with its share of unpredictable, funny moments. You must really be ready for anything — and many times these moments provide those deeply-satisfying laughs you can feel throughout your entire body (whether it's instantly or one of those "this will be funny when we look back on it" moments). We've been asking you to share your funniest momen...

Happy Park and Recreation Month ! Throughout July, we celebrate all of the great things that are happening in local parks and recreation centers nationwide. This year's theme for Park and Recreation Month is Game On, and we're excited to have some fun all month long! On today's episode we're joined by SaulPaul, a musician with a message. SaulPaul was a keynote speaker at the 2018 NRPA Annual Confe...

We're talking about a gross topic on today's episode of Open Space Radio, but fortunately I'm joined by a few people who are on a mission to clean things up. Today we're talking about cigarette butt litter, and how both Keep Tennessee Beautiful and Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful are doing their part in their state to reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter, which contains really toxic chemi...