United We Stand.

Some people believe citizens are a pain in the neck.

They complain about uncut grass in a park. They rise up in vocal protest over lighted areas and facilities near their backyards. They cry foul even louder when geese are "expelled" from a golf course.

This relationship between residents and a public agency is indeed tumultuous at times. I believe it's because our public park and recreation systems are so close to the public they serve. Our parks and playgrounds are in their backyards.

Yet these same citizens infuse our park and recreation agencies with extraordinary vitality.

Citizens help clean up our parks, coach sports, assist in senior programs, and serve on advisory boards. They fold and stuff for referendums, and lobby legislators on behalf of parks and recreation issues. As was the case with the salvation of Chicago's historic Lincoln Park in the 1850s, citizens also rise up in vocal majority to preserve land for public parks and forests. The stories of so many park and recreation systems across the country begin with grassroots citizen involvement.

And they do all this for free.

Are your citizens an active and positive force for your agency? They should be, because they truly can be an economic and advocatory boon.

To help you involve more citizens at a local level, the National Recreation Foundation and the Illinois Association of Park Districts have produced a video that highlights volunteer opportunities for citizens. Including examples of citizen volunteerism throughout the United States, the nine-minute video is designed to motivate and recruit volunteers.

The video is available to all NRPA members and can be tailored with a message at the end from your local agency.

Friends of Parks and Recreation

Just as you need citizens at the local level, parks and recreation needs a powerful national voice. To do this, NRPA is developing a Friends of Parks and Recreation program to recruit more citizens.

As President Clinton and Vice President Gore push for their "Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century," we find ourselves at the top of the list of their goals:

To preserve green spaces that promote clean air and clean water, sustain wildlife, and provide families with places to walk, play and relax.

In addition, the president's recently announced land-legacy initiative will triple the current level of federal spending for land conservation, calling for $588 million in matching grants to states and local governments for land preservation. This at long last would restore funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Now imagine adding hundreds of thousands of citizens to our cause. Armed with a strong and vocal Friends of Parks and Recreation membership, we will be heard and recognized as stewards of the environment, offering services that reduce health care costs as well as addressing social issues and boosting local economies.

For the videotape or information about Friends of Parks and Recreation, contact Pat Cartwright at [phone] or [e-mail].

Ted Flickering, NRPA President