America’s Great Outdoor Annapolis Listening Session Well-Attended

June 30, 2010

A June 26 Capital article reported that the America’s Great Outdoor Listening Session in Annapolis was well-attended.  The Great Outdoor listening sessions will influence federal funding decisions for national, state, and local parks.

Hundreds of people attended a “listening and learning session” at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis yesterday to take part in President Barack Obama’s “America’s Great Outdoors” initiative.

“I see this as a movement,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “I see it as a march for conservation.” …

Obama established the initiative in April to reconnect people to the environment and bring science-based techniques to restoring land and water. The secretaries of agriculture and the interior, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality are attending meetings around the country to solicit input.

A report will be submitted to the president by Nov. 15. The meeting yesterday was also attended by Gov. Martin O’Malley, U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Baltimore, and U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Baltimore. …

Panelists urged Salazar to prioritize not only areas such as Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon but the smaller city parks that are often the first encounter residents have with nature.

Robert Etgen, the executive director of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, said a child can even grow up in Easton without having the chance to wade in a stream or go fishing.

“There is a lot of work to do,” he said. “We have to find a way to inspire the coming generations to do that work for us.”

June 25 Conduit Street Post

June 9 Conduit Street Post

Leave a Comment » | Environment, Parks and Recreation, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Les Knapp

MACo Summer Conference Session: Utilizing our Blue Infrastructure

June 23, 2010

What’s blue infrastructure?  Come to the MACo Summer Conference session sponsored by the MACo Park and Recreation Affiliate entitled “Utilizing Our Blue Infrastructure for Economic, Recreational and Environmental Benefits” on Thursday, August 19 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and find out!

Increasing demands on Maryland’s blue infrastructure (aquatic resources), open spaces and their surrounding landscapes are becoming a reality as our state experiences continued growth.  In order to ensure that the state’s blue infrastructure continues to provide environmental, economic, cultural and recreational benefits it is important to identify places and collectively work to protect, restore and manage these resources. Working in partnership with regional, state and private partners, great strides can be made to conserve and properly manage the blue infrastructure.

Hear from our expert speakers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Catherine McCall, Chesapeake and Coastal Program, and Christine Conn, Office for a Sustainable Future.

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Posted by Michele Dinkel

America’s Great Outdoor Initiative-Listening Session in Annapolis-June 25

June 9, 2010

Listening Session and Discussion Information:

Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for a public listening session and discussion in the Chesapeake region on land conservation, recreation, and reconnecting people to the outdoors.

When: Friday, June 25th, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

What: Opening session with senior officials from DOI, USDA, EPA, and CEQ, expert panel discussions, and opportunities to share your ideas in breakout groups.

Where: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts- 801 Chase Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401

The event is free and open to the public, but you need to Register by 10 pm, Monday June 21 by sending your name, telephone number and primary area of interest:

  • Working land and open space conservation
  • Recreation and public access
  • Citizen stewardship, including youth engagement and environmental education.
  • General

To register, click here.    Scroll down to the registration section.

Background: In April, at the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, President Obama established the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation and recreation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors.  For more information, see America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.

1 Comment | Parks and Recreation, Uncategorized | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Michele Dinkel

NACPRO 2010 Outstanding Achievement Awards

March 29, 2010

The National Association of County Parks and Recreation Officials (NACPRO) annually recognizes the excellence of county-level parks and recreation departments through its Annual Awards Program.  NACPRO is now accepting nominations for outstanding achievement in the categories of park and recreation facilities, programs, and staff, NACo reports.  Awards will be presented at the July 2010 NACo Annual Conference & Exposition  in Reno, Nevada.  Applications must be postmarked by April 9, 2010.   Details are available on the NACPRO website. 

Click here to view NACPRO 2009 Awards.

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Posted by Emily Hollis

Impact Bills for County Departments: Corrections, Parks & Recreation, & Planners

February 11, 2010

Weekly lists of bills that directly impact three county departments will now appear on our website.   Below are the PDF lists for February 8, 2010:

Leave a Comment » | Bill Hearing, Parks and Recreation, Planning and Zoning, Public Safety and Corrections, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Emily Hollis

POS funding plan includes bond payback

January 25, 2010

MACo recently reported that the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act includes provisions for a one-time transfer of funds from local Program Open Space balances to the State’s General Fund. While true, this fails to provide full context for the proposal, which includes a three-year replacement of these funds via state bonding.

MACo is currently working with the Department of Natural resources and other interested parties to sort out the proposal and its net effects (likely to include some short-term difficulties in fund availability), but the proposal is not as simple as a “raid” on local balances.  DNR published a document outlining the  effects of the proposed Administration’s FY 2011 budget on local side POS.

1 Comment | Parks and Recreation, State Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Sanderson

Unexpended Balance for Local Share of POS Being Transferred to the General Fund

January 22, 2010

On Page 29 of the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) of 2010 (SB141/HB151), the unexpended balance for the local share of Program Open Space is being transferred to the General Fund.  The BRFA langauge is below -

SECTION 12.  AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law:

(a)  On or before June 30, 2010, the Governor may transfer to the General Fund:

$103,113,000 of the unexpended balance of the funds for the local share of Program Open Space in the special fund established under §13-209 of the Tax – Property Article;

Such a one-time transfer was debated fairly extensively during the 2009 session, but ultimately rejected. Many counties, due to the nature of the Program Open Space funding, tend to “bank” multiple years’ distributions, in order to have capacity available to pursue a substantial purchase or project when an opportunity arises.

1 Comment | Parks and Recreation, State Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Andrea Mansfield

EPA Investigates Use of Recycled Tire Materials for Playgrounds and Artificial Turf Fields

December 11, 2009

In response to safety concerns raised by the public, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted a study on the use of recycled tire materials (commonly called “tire crumb” or “crumb rubber”) for playgrounds and artificial turf fields.

The limited-scaled scoping study contains the following findings:  (1) testing and data collection techniques were found to be appropriate; (2)  concentrations of particulate matter and metals (including lead) were above ambient background levels at a playground site with high play activity but still well below established safe exposure levels; and (3) one volatile organic compound associated with tire crumb materials (methyl isobutyl ketone) was detected for one synthetic turf field and was not present in the corresponding background sample  Due to the limited scope and sample used in the study, the EPA concluded that further research is needed.

For more information on the study and the use of recycled tire materials in general, look here.

1 Comment | Parks and Recreation | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Les Knapp

Transfer taxes see frightening downward trends

November 13, 2009

A review of the State transfer tax was included as part of the report furnished to the State’s Spending Affordability Committee on November 10.

The entire presentation is available here, on the Maryland General Assembly’s website.  The page detailing transfer taxes is on page 11 of that report.

Perhaps the most startling time series is that of funding for local Program Open Space.  FY 2008 funding for local POS is shown at $95.6 million.  Over the ensuing years, those distributions dropped to $18.6 million in FY 2009, $6.2 million in FY 2010, and are projected to hit zero for FY 2011.  Declines in the real estate market, along with the curious backwards-looking process used to settle up transfer tax distributions, lead to this decline in part — but legislation passed during the 2007 special session also substantially compromised the share of transfer tax revenues reaching Local POS projects, as the State now funds operations of the State Park system with a substantial ($21 million) segment of those funds.

Trends in local transfer taxes have mirrored this revenue dropoff, as county transfer tax underattainment has added substantial strain to recent years’ budgets.

Leave a Comment » | Parks and Recreation, State Budget, Taxes and Revenues | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Sanderson

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