The American for Park and Recreation Foundation Scholarships Close July 31
The American Parks & Recreation Foundation (Foundation), philanthropic partner of the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration (Academy), is sponsoring two (2) scholarships to cover the tuition for two (2) first-year students to attend the National Recreation & Park Association’s Supervisors Management School, Revenue Development & Management School, Directors School, and Park and Recreation Maintenance Management School (total of eight scholarships.)
The scholarship for Directors School is the “Pottsie” Leadership Development Scholarship, which honors the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration’s former Executive Director, John C. Potts.
Learn more:
https://aapra.org/Foundation/Foundation-Scholarships
A New Class of PFD has Arrived
Courtesy of River Management Society
There’s a glaring statistic in recreational boating: According to the U.S. Coast Guard, in 87 percent of boating-related drownings in 2024, the victim wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device. That number has been consistent within one or two percentage points for decades. Each year, paddlers account for one-quarter to one-third of those drownings.
The US Coast Guard has approved a new type of PFD called a Level 50. This PFD is a slimmer, less bulky PFD designed to get more people to wear PFDs during paddlesport activities like SUPS. Level 50 PFDs provide 11 pounds of flotation. Level 50 PFDs do NOT qualify for carriage requirements, meaning they cannot be used to satisfy the requirements that every person on board must have access to a PFD and that it must be worn. 11 pounds of flotation is not enough for whitewater; it will just assist someone in the water in a calm lake, like falling out of a boat or off a SUP.
Learn more:
https://paddlingmag.com/stories/news-events/level-50-life-jackets/
What You Need to Know About Cold Plunge Pools
Courtesy of Recreation Management
Cold plunges and ice baths have moved from niche recovery tool to mainstream amenity. Gyms, sports facilities, spas and wellness clinics across North America are adding cold-water immersion options at a rapid clip. This trend has grown so quickly that regulation hasn't kept pace. Health departments, facility designers and operators have lacked a shared reference for evaluating how these systems should be built and run. CMAHC's new guidance, developed by its Ad Hoc Cold-Water Venue Committee—a multidisciplinary group of public health officials and aquatics experts from the United States, Canada and Australia—is designed to close that gap.
Download the guide:
https://cmahc-production.s3.amazonaws.com/yg92enm9dgwj9updbaux4igiersd
Widening Health Divide Among U.S. Cities Revealed in 2026 ACSM American Fitness Index
Courtesy of Recreation Management
The 19th annual report reveals that the nation’s fittest cities consistently combine lower obesity and chronic disease rates with higher physical activity, stronger active transportation, and broad access to parks and recreation infrastructure. Lower-ranked cities continue to struggle with higher obesity, lower activity levels, food insecurity and fewer opportunities to integrate movement into daily life.
The result is two types of cities — one where healthy choices are built into everyday life, and another where structural barriers continue to limit long-term health.
Learn more:
https://recmanagement.com/index%2Ephp/articles/155948/widening-health-divide-among-us-cities-revealed-2026-acsm-american-fitness-index
Game-changing plays to help more girls thrive through sports
Courtesy of NRPA
Park and recreation agencies are leaders in promoting access to youth sports and ensuring all kids have the opportunity to play, grow and thrive in their communities. By focusing on advancing key systems change approaches, park and recreation professionals can continue to create accessible, welcoming, fun and high-quality youth sports opportunities for all kids, especially girls. We hope that this playbook will provide you with strategies, ideas and examples to remove barriers to youth sports for girls in your community and maximize the impact of parks and recreation on community well-being.
Read more:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b6e51c5973944dc391d8d67bd3bbe9c8
Record Outdoor Participation, Declining Frequency
Courtesy of Recreation Management
More Americans than ever are heading outdoors, but they're doing it less often, according to the 2026 Outdoor Participation Trends Report from Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the Outdoor Foundation. The report carries real implications for how parks, recreation and fitness facilities plan their programming this year.
Outdoor recreation participation hit a record 183.2 million Americans in 2025—59% of everyone age 6 and up. The participant base has grown by nearly 30 million people since 2019, adding another 2.1 million (a 1.1% increase) between 2024 and 2025 alone.
But the report’s authors flag a catch: Even as more people try outdoor activities, they’re going outside less frequently than they did before the pandemic. The base is wider, but engagement is shallower.
Learn more:
https://recmanagement.com/articles/155932/record-outdoor-participation-declining-frequency-what-numbers-mean-your-facility
USDOT secretary plans to pull $1.73B from 'DEI bike lanes'
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that his department would redirect $1.73 billion in funds allocated for "DEI bike lane" projects to roads and bridges, reports Edith Olmsted in The New Republic.
"In reality, those Biden-era grants directed funds to build a new transit center in North Carolina, replace bridges in New Mexico, extend streets in New Hampshire, install traffic lights and crosswalks in Missouri, and install bike lanes in Seattle, among other projects," Olmsted explains. Now, dozens of projects around the country are in jeopardy.
Learn more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2026/07/137967-usdot-secretary-plans-pull-173b-dei-bike-lanes
