In Case of Emergency
Courtesy of Recreation Management
By Dave Ramont
After disasters strike, it’s often a wakeup call for municipalities, parks departments, camps and campgrounds, schools, sports and rec facilities and others to examine and rethink their Emergency Action Plans (EAP), making something positive from a negative. This was certainly the case after the devastating Texas floods in July 2025, when 27 campers and counselors lost their lives at Camp Mystic, with a statewide death toll of more than 135. And while planning for the worst is crucial, recovery strategies are also important considerations.
Read more:
https://recmanagement.com/articles/155640/case-emergency
‘Heat Batteries’ Leave Some City Blocks Scorched
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
When that heat bears down on cities, with all their steel-and-concrete infrastructure, it can create what scientists call an “urban heat island.” Under this phenomenon, concrete structures and roads can essentially act like “heat batteries,” where man-made surfaces absorb and emit more heat than natural landscapes, like grass or trees, leading to elevated temperatures, said Luis Ortiz, an assistant professor in the department of atmospheric, oceanic and earth sciences at George Mason University, and a member of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, an advisory body that helps inform policy on climate issues.
Other factors contribute too—machinery like air conditioners eject heat into the atmosphere, and tall buildings block cool gusts of wind.
Around 150 Houston residents attached temperature sensors to the windows of their cars and drove around the city in 2024 to document the urban heat island effect in real time. This was the second study of its kind for the Houston Advanced Research Center; the first happened in 2020.
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14042026/heat-batteries-leave-some-city-blocks-scorched/
This Seattle sidewalk art only appears when it rains
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
A Seattle artist is beautifying the city’s sidewalks with art that only becomes visible when the pavement gets wet, bringing a whimsical dimension to the city’s reputation for rainy weather.
Artist Peregrine Church developed a water-based, invisible spray that lasts up to four months and reveals designs when it gets wet, explains Maggie Penman in The Washington Post.
Church now runs a company that sells the paint to other organizations.
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2026/04/137280-seattle-sidewalk-art-only-appears-when-it-rains
Meeting Climate Targets Requires Humanity to Reorient Its Relationship With Nature, New Study Says
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
By Jake Bolster
Governments cannot reach their climate goals without rethinking humanity’s relationship to the Earth. That is the overarching takeaway from a new paper published today in Frontiers in Science by a global team of scientists, conservationists and Indigenous people. The authors examined a set of climate targets from around the world, including the Paris Agreement, through the lens of a “Nature Positive” approach to climate change, in which biodiversity loss is halted and reversed by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline.
They found that climate progress cannot happen without widespread attempts to increase biodiversity, protect intact ecosystems and reverse ecological damage from centuries of consumption.
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/yellowstone-to-yukon-conservation-climate-targets/
Philadelphia sees 29% drop in gun violence near new green spaces
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
As Peter Yeung explains in Reasons to be Cheerful, the LandCare program, run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and funded by the city, transforms vacant lots into neighborhood-scale green spaces. "By cleaning up the lots, authorities are deterring illegal dumping and also creating community assets, particularly for Black communities that don’t typically have access to green space, and improving mental health." The program works with community organizations to identify target areas and coordinate regular cleaning and upkeep.
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2026/04/137282-philadelphia-sees-29-drop-gun-violence-near-new-green-spaces
Flexible Designs, Permanent Solutions
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business+
By Shannon Humbert
In situations where brick-and-mortar buildings have proved cost-prohibitive, some municipalities and schools occasionally turn to alternatives like air-supported bubbles or fabric “hoop” structures. Most users have some concerns and doubts when it comes to these options, knowing they won’t solve the problem permanently.
More than a decade ago, a new solution came about for parks and recreation departments, colleges, and clubs in need of sports facilities: the marriage of a tension-fabric membrane with a structural steel, I-beam frame. By bringing together the best aspects of conventional construction with cost-effective fabric cladding, these facilities suddenly became an ideal, permanent-project fit. And manufacturers offering such buildings have continued to innovate and improve them ever since.
Read more:
https://content.prbplus.com/prb-april-2026?ref=prbplus.com#page36
President releases FY 2027 budget request
Courtesy of NACo
On April 3, the White House released its budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, proposing a 10 percent reduction in non-defense discretionary spending and a 44 percent increase in defense spending. The budget carries significant implications for counties, including proposed eliminations of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the HOME Investment Partnerships program, the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Economic Development Administration. Notably, FY 2027 will be the first year without Bipartisan Infrastructure Law advance appropriations in effect, meaning many transportation and infrastructure programs face effective cuts unless Congress acts. NACo will continue to track the appropriations process as it unfolds.
Read more:
https://www.naco.org/news/white-house-releases-budget-request-fy-2027-top-highlights-counties
Grant Funding Opportunities
Courtesy of National Special District Association
FY 2026 North American Wetlands Conservation Act U.S. Standard Grant Program
This program funds public-private partnerships carrying out wetland conservation projects in the United States. Funded projects must focus on the long-term protection, restoration, or enhancement of wetland and associated upland habitats to benefit wetland ecosystems and sustain populations of waterfowl and other wetlands-associated migratory birds.
Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, or special district governments; independent school districts; public, state-controlled, and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, and small businesses.
DUE: May 7, 2026
Read more: https://www.fws.gov/service/north-american-wetlands-conservation-act-nawca-us-standard-grants
FY 2026 Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program
The purpose of this program is to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources and the communities that depend on them by providing direct technical and financial assistance to private landowners.
Eligible applicants are state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public, private, and state controlled institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally and nonfederally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); individuals; for-profit organizations; and small businesses.
DUE: May 30, 2026 (to be considered for FY26 funding); September 30, 2026
Read more: https://www.fws.gov/program/partners-fish-and-wildlife
FY 2026 USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program
The purpose of this program is to reduce landslide risk through hazard mapping, risk assessments, public education, and interagency coordination.
Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and State geologic surveys or other state offices organized under a university system.
DUE: June 8, 2026
Read more: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/landslide-hazards/science/external-grants-overview
