Over 400 park and recreation leaders and advocates joined forces in Washington March 12-14 to learn more about the critical funding issues facing the parks and recreation industry and to take their case to Capitol Hill for a day of meetings with members of Congress and their staff. As a result of these meetings, National Recreation and Park Association members were able to obtain commitments from several key legislators who pledged to work for the advancement of specific appropriation and legislative measures.

The National Legislative Forum on Parks and Recreation provides an opportunity each year to focus national attention on the top priorities for funding and for advancing the nation’s health and environmental agendas, with specific impact on the places and spaces Americans enjoy in their own communities. This year, delegates carried some critical messages to Capitol Hill:

• That funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) – a critical resource for land acquisition and preservation at the local level – is in danger, threatening the good work of local governments to protect natural resources.
• That America’s cities desperately need Congress to re-authorize the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act (UPARR), which provides federal support to improve urban park systems and create more and better places for people to recreate close to home.
• That passage of the Play Every Day Act will help identify the gaps in our communities’ recreational offerings so that we can provide America’s children and youth with adequate opportunities for physical activity.
• That passage of the No Child Left Inside Act would allow states to create environmental literacy programs and help to eliminate the “nature deficit” in America’s youth.

The educational portion of the 2008 National Legislative forum provided attendees with insider information from well known champions of parks and recreation as well as political analysts. The event opened with remarks from Lyle Laverty, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Later in the day, Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-SC-6) spoke to the delegates before receiving the National Recreation and Park Association’s National Congressional Award. And the day closed with former U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers speaking to the delegates and introducing nationally-known political analyst Larry Sabato, who provided an assessment of the current American political landscape.

The following day, after a series of visits to congressional offices, delegates celebrated their accomplishments and honored Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Representative Mary Bono (R-CA-45), Representative Ray LaHood (R-IL-18) and Representative Mark Udall (D-CO-2) as recipients of the National Congressional Award.

More details can be found on the activities and events taking place last week at the National Legislative Forum Blog.