Parks encounter exciting challenges

The key to future growth/or all park systems is our ability to convert problems into opportunities.

By William Penn Mott, Jr.

As I complete the first six months as National Park Service director, I welcome the opportunity to share some vivid impressions.

The 1980s are exciting times in parks and recreation. Rather than shy away and shrink from problems all around us, I see opportunities on every hand.

The public, the Congress, the environmental community and the private sector all offer support. The popularity of parks, recreation and outdoors is riding a "ground swell" the likes of which we have never seen.

Visits grow every year; volunteers increase in number, willing to give of their time and talents. There is greater realization than ever before of the values of our cultural and historical treasures. Certainly, "they" all have special interests, but that means simply that our ingenuity is challenged.

Looking ahead

There are several things underway that promise good things for the future.

President Reagan has appointed a new Commission on Americans Outdoors. Under the leadership of Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, the commission's charge is to study and review public outdoor recreation policies, programs and opportunities.

It will encompass federal, state, local and private programs. Further, the commission will recommend how to ensure the future availability of outdoor recreation for the American people.

The National Park Service has completed, and is in the process of publishing, a report on a new national recreation survey. This defines the preference of various age groups and those with different income levels for outdoor recreational pursuits.

Running or jogging, hiking, tennis and snow skiing have shown astounding growth since the 1960s. Also, the survey sheds light on the reasons why Americans do not do more recreational activity outdoors.

Blueprint for growth

As I prepared to become the 12th director of the National Park Service and during my first few weeks in this post, I set down 12 points for managing the 337 units within the national park system. Some anticipated this would be a latter-day "Ten Commandments" for park and recreation. They are not.

What they state are common sense, attainable, everyday goals to help us all know where we are going. I regard them as a living document. They will change constantly as we progress.

Following the 12-point plan, we are now working on an action program that will keep us on track in the future. I especially anticipate a dynamic action program with new projects and new approaches.

Secretary of the Interior Don Hodel has examined and approved these approaches. They have his support.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 7 January/February 1986

So, the stage is set. Our progress now is limited only by our collective ingenuity. We will go as far as our abilities are able to sustain us.

Problems like budget constraints, external threats, competition between development and preservation, and use-overuse must be viewed as triggers for our innate creativity.

'Problems must be viewed as triggers for innate creativity.'

Basic principles

It seems to me there are some basic principles that apply in all of our park and recreation areas — federal, state, local and private. Some examples include the following:

• If we err, it must be on the side of resource preservation. As in our personal financial management plans, we should never deplete the principal.

• Those who use public resources and facilities must expect to pay more than non-using taxpayers. He who dances pays the piper. Of course, there are exceptions for the disabled, elderly and, in some instances, the destitute.

• Americans are increasingly civic-minded. When told the needs of parks, recreation areas and other public systems, and how they can help, a large number will volunteer time, funds and specific gifts.

These and many other considerations are written into the 12-point plan. Most of them are not new, but by emphasis and "fine tuning" with our best management skills, they will sustain our superb parks, recreational areas, cultural treasures and historic sites.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Penn Mott, Jr. is the director of the National Park Service

Deerfield parks win Gold Medal Award Leisure service agencies in Illinois and five other states received top honors in the competition for the 1985 Gold Medal and Special Recreation Awards. The winners were announced by the Sports Foundation, Inc., during the National Recreation and Park (NRPA) Congress in Dallas last fall. The Gold Medal honors the nation's recreation and park departments for excellence in park and recreation management. Emphasis is given to those agencies which demonstrate an awareness of the community's changing needs and leadership in meeting those needs with creative programs. The Special Recreation Awards recognize outstanding programs for physically and mentally handicapped citizens. The Deerfield Park District won the Gold Medal in Class V (less than 20,000 population). Behind the leadership of Director Joe Schultz, the district has implemented several different techniques for assessing the community's park and recreation needs. This includes the retention of consultant services, in-house studies, implementation of goals and objectives, and the solicitation of citizen input through advisory committees and various surveys. A "Comprehensive Land and Facility Plan" presented in 1982 offered various recommendations for present lands and facilities, along with proposed acquisitions and improvements for the future. A long-term master plan is currently being revised. Upon completion, it will take into account present outstanding indebtedness and permissive capitalization authorized by the Park District Code for the implementation of capital improvements and the acquisition of additional parks and facilities. The new master plan will incorporate the following four components; assessment of all aspects of the district's operations, involvement of all constituent groups in accurately determining community needs, objective analysis of the district's strengths and weaknesses, and establishment of priorities and timetables for remedying weaknesses and achieving goals. The Deerfield Park District was nominated for the Gold Medal Award by Deerfield Courts. Three other Illinois agencies were finalists in the 1985 competition. They are the Salt Creek Rural Park District, the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association and West Suburban Special Recreation Association. The National Gold Medal Awards and Special Recreation Awards programs are open to any city or municipal park and recreation department or special recreation department in the United States. Each department must have its own budget, official population (provided by census) and programs and activities within specific and exclusive boundaries to be eligible. Judges for the Awards are nationally recognized authorities in the field of parks and recreation management. The judges for 1985 were: John Davis, executive director of the National Recreation and Park Association; Dr. Theodore B. Flickinger, executive director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts; Dr. Lee Meyer, associate professor of curriculum in recreation administration. University of North Carolina; Charles M. Christiansen, general service manager, City of Phoenix, and Walter Johnson, regional director of NRPA's Great Lakes Service Center.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 8 January/February 1986