The Parks, Trails, and Health Workbook: A Tool for Planners, Parks and Recreational Professionals, and Health Practitioners is a quick guide for incorporating public health considerations in the development and improvement of a park or trail. This tool can help start collaborative discussions about the health benefits of parks and trails and prepare for a health impact assessment (HIA).
Link Nearly 143 million Americans, or 49.2 percent of the US population, participated in an outdoor activity at least once in 2013. Although the actual number of outdoor participants increased since 2012, the participation rate fell slightly, due to population growth. This report takes a close look at trends in outdoor participation – including populations where participation has increased as well as decreased. The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) today announced the 14 parks and trails in Greater Minnesota that have achieved regional designation for 2016. Mn/DOT has created a new state bicycle map, available as a pdf download or in print. They have also created individual county-level bicycle maps, available online. Check it out!
Link here This report is the Metropolitan Council’s 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan. This report draws on data from numerous sources to analyze 13 scenarios that consider future forest change in response to assumptions about land-use change, economic change, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, forest growth, forest harvest, and other factors. Results are organized using the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicator framework. Download the document at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/50448 For additional USFS research click here: http://www.fs.fed.us/research/ This article discusses how exposure to nature makes people happy and could cut mental-health inequalities between the rich and poor. A group of regional economic development professionals have come together to address the issue of regional recruitment. Specifically, this group is interested in strategies to retain higher skill, higher wage demographics that are contributing to the “brain gain” phenomenon illustrated in data provided by the University of Minnesota Extension. Data has shown that those in the age range of 35 – 45 years are seeking out rural lifestyles and actually bringing education and wealth into the region despite the significant losses from younger demographics leaving for school, which is commonly referred to as the “brain drain”. By developing strategies that attract and retain the “brain gain” demographic this effort will further diversify the region with higher skill, higher wage jobs and is likely to increase entrepreneurship and job creation that would fulfill niches in the region that are currently un-served or under served. In 2008, the Minnesota Recreational Trail Users Association (MRTUA) embarked on an ambitious project to simultaneously identify both the expenditures and profiles of the various trails user groups they represent. The 2014 Special Report on Fishing provides a comprehensive look at overall trends in fishing participation — including motivations, barriers and preferences of key groups — and detailed information and analysis on specific fishing categories. |
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June 2024
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