From the editor.

This time of year, most people like to make New Year's resolutions that may be ambitious, but they are hopeful they'll accomplish. Some of us say we will lose weight, or keep in touch with old friends, or even make more time to volunteer for various charitable organizations. For me, I always make grand resolutions ("I will call my old college friends at least once a week!") that by Feb. 1, have fallen by the wayside.

This year, instead of making resolutions we know we probably won't keep in our personal life, why not make a resolution that we must keep in our professional life? For example, as citizens and park users, we must continue to fight for open space and parkland, because if we don't, future generations will have nowhere to play. As park and recreation professionals, we must make time to find out what community residents are looking for in recreation programming, or they will no longer be spending time or money in our parks. And as NRPA members, we must be the leading experts in the field, so that community leaders and others in the profession know who to turn to.

It is that last resolution where I hope the magazine can continue to help. We have made a resolution to provide quality content that will help each member be better at what he or she does, and inform members about issues that they should care about. This issue, we've taken our New Year's must-do, not hope-to-do, resolution to heart. There are articles that give park and recreation professionals ideas about how to generate income through disc golf (p. 42), or how to be an effective leader in snow removal maintenance (p. 28). And for citizens, they can read about how to start a coalition to establish a dogpark (p. 32) or off-leash area in their community.

Instead of making a resolution you hope to meet at home, make one that you must meet for parks and recreation, and you'll find that this year will be a better one for it.