Ifpra world e-news
Newsletter Issue 13 – January 2008
The newsletter has now passed its first year’s
anniversary and I would like to take this opportunity to
wish you all a happy and prosperous 2008. Any feedback on
the newsletter would be very welcome and of course your
contribution of news items wherever possible. Items for
inclusion in the February edition need to be e-mailed to
ifpraworldnews@aol.com by no later than 24 January. Please
also use this opportunity to promote events that may be of
interest to other members. As always, I look forward to
hearing from you.
Editor
Many Ifpra members will remember Sue Stayte who was closely
involved with the Institute of Parks and Recreation and
Administration (IPRA) and with the Institute of Leisure and
Amenity Management (ILAM) in the U.K. It is with sadness that we
learn that Sue died on 17th December, following a long battle
with cancer. She was highly respected by everyone who knew and
worked with her and she will be much missed. Those who knew her
will remember her great sense fun and her total dedication to
the Institute and its work. The Institute of Sport Parks and
Leisure (ISPAL) has opened a Book of Remembrance for Sue Stayte
on its website at www.ispal.org.uk and Ifpra members wishing to
contribute should e-mail
infocentre@ispal.org.uk
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Guadalupe River Park is a three-mile ribbon of park land that
runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of
downtown San Jose from Highway 880 at the north, to Highway 280
at the south. It is a resource of regional importance to the
people of Santa Clara County and the Bay Area. Guadalupe
Gardens, which already features a renowned Heritage Rose Garden
with over 3,700 varieties of roses, is being created adjacent to
the River Park on land just south of the Mineta San Jose
International Airport. The Gardens are a place of great beauty
containing a variety of garden styles for the enjoyment and
education of visitors and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency has
produced a handy walking map. The one-acre community garden, on
which work is scheduled to begin in early December, will open in
Spring 2008 and will feature thirty-three plots where
individuals and families can grow their own organic food crops
and flowers. This is the first phase of what will eventually be
a two-acre garden, designed by Verde Design, Inc. The garden
will be a state-of-the art facility, with raised beds, wide
pathways, picnic tables and barbecue pits, compost bins, and a
sink for cleaning produce. It will also be the first garden of
its kind in California to be irrigated with recycled water.
Construction of the garden is being funded by the City of San
Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department.
Plots will be available to residents of San Jose via the San
Jose Community Gardens Program on a first come first served
basis.
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Governor Phil Bredesen of Nashville, Tennessee and the
members of the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund Board have
announced $7.1 million in grant funding for nine projects that
will protect more than 14,455 acres of land. "I am very pleased
with the continued focus and dedication of the Heritage
Conservation Trust,” said Bredesen. “The ability of the trust
fund to leverage resources with other public and private
partners is helping us protect thousands of acres of priority
land for future generations of Tennesseans.” Since its inception
in 2005, the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund has approved more
than $28 million in grant funding for projects with an estimated
total cost of $108 million to protect 37,000 acres across
Tennessee. The projects approved for grant awards must meet
certain criteria before the funds are provided, including
property surveys and appraisals, environmental assessments and
enactment of mechanisms, such as conservation easements, to
guarantee the permanent protection of the properties.
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Ambitious
plans to transform Wigan’s Mesnes Park into a true ‘Park for the
People’ were given a multi million pound boost today thanks to
the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, in partnership with Wigan
Council, has been awarded a grant of £1.8m to transform and
regenerate the much-loved park. Match-funding from other sources
including Wigan Council, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and a
contribution from Fredericks Ice Cream will take the investment
in the park to around £3.4m. The funding for Mesnes Park is one
of the first from the ‘Parks for People’ programme, a new scheme
designed to invest lottery good cause money in parks right
across UK. HLF case officers commended Wigan’s application as
exemplary and highlighted it as a fine example of partnership
work with the Trust, Council, The Friends of Mesnes Park and
countless others playing their part in the Mesnes Park bid.
Mesnes is a classic example of a Victorian urban park. It is a
Grade II listed park and was opened back in 1878 as a ‘green
lung’ for the industrial town. Today it receives around two
million visitors a year and plays host to an array of popular
events including the Wigan One World Festival. For further
information about the Mesnes Park Restoration Project visit
www.wlct.org/mesnespark.
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In a recent article, Northern Life, reports that a garden
built by community volunteers to celebrate Canada’s centennial
year was bulldozed by a city maintenance crew in November.
Centennial Garden at Bell Park near the Grace Hartman
Amphitheatre was built in 1967 by members of the Jaycees of
Sudbury. The Jaycees movement started in the U.S. early in the
twentieth century for young men and women to encourage
involvement in civic life and voluntary service. The name
originates from JC’s or Junior Citizens. The garden had eleven
concrete triangular flower boxes arranged in the shape of the
Centennial maple leaf and featured flowers from each of the
provinces and territories. Whilst the flower boxes were
understood to be in need of restoration and will be replaced by
a new garden, feedback from citizens indicates considerable
concern that this action should have been taken apparently
without notice or consultation.
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Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, launched
the 42-km long Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network (PCN) at a
jog and cycle activity today. The Eastern Coastal PCN links up
popular beach parks of East Coast, Changi Beach, Pasir Ris and
other
parks in the eastern part of Singapore, such as Bedok Reservoir
Park and Bedok Town Park. Minister Mah was joined by Ms Grace
Fu, Minister of State for National Development, Dr Maliki Osman,
Parliamentary Secretary and senior members of the National Parks
Board (NParks) and the MND Family, as they jogged/cycled along a
8km scenic coastal stretch of the Eastern Coastal PCN from
Changi Beach Park to East Coast Park.
The Eastern Coastal PCN is part of the National Parks Board (NParks)’s
Park Connector Network (PCN). The PCN is an island-wide network
of linear open spaces that link up major parks, nature sites and
housing estates in Singapore. Built on drainage reserves,
foreshore and road reserves, the PCN, lined with lush greenery
and shielded from the hustle and bustle of traffic noise and
exhaust fumes, provides additional recreational areas for
activities like jogging, cycling and in-line skating. At the
same time, they link up residential and urban areas, offering
shady and convenient shortcut routes to bus stops, MRT stations
and markets. When completed, the entire network across the whole
island will make it convenient to travel from park to park.
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The Star reports that two urgent interdicts have been served
on Joburg City Parks to prevent it from continuing to erect a
fence through Emmarentia Park. Residents of Emmarentia,
Greenside and Melville, as well as the Environment and Dog Group
of Emmarentia (Edge), are furious that City Parks started
erecting the fence, dividing the park, over the weekend.
Advocate Steve Kuny, who heads Edge, said it had been brought to
his attention that contractors had started digging holes for the
fence over the weekend despite numerous objections. It is
claimed that the fence will materially affect the rights and
enjoyment of legitimate park users who have been walking in the
park for years and traversing the whole park. It is also
suggested that the fence would be unsightly and spoil the
character of the park. It was understood that the City Parks
Agency considers the fence necessary to protect and conserve the
botanic garden and its sensitive environs. It is proposing to
restrict the movement of people to specific areas and only allow
dogs on a leash in identified areas.
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On 11 December, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools
and Families, Ed Balls launched the ‘Children’s Plan’, a long
term vision to improve schools and a step-change in the way
parents and families are supported to deal with the new
challenges faced by young people in the 21st century. The plan
contains a range of objectives to support children, young people
and their parents and to improve standards of education. It is
proposed to make sure that young people have exciting things to
do outside school and more places for children to play. There
are plans to allocate £225m over the next three years to
building or upgrading more than 3,500 playgrounds and setting up
30 new supervised adventure playgrounds designed for 8-13 year
olds in deprived communities. It is suggested that there should
be a move away from the “no ball games” culture of the past so
that public spaces in residential areas are more child friendly.
Local authorities should be encouraged to create more 20mph
speed limit zones around play parks.
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The diverse landscape, unique vistas and quality of light has
always attracted painters, such as Ledger and Pissaro, to the
area that is now the Regional Nature Reserve of Normandy-Maine
in the Mancelles Alps. It is proposed to develop a House of
Painters that will encourage tourism in this sector of the
Mancelles Alps. This is part of a programme of sustainable
tourism aimed at preserving this cultural heritage. It falls
within the scope of the State’s “Pôles d’excellence Rurale”
(PER), which is designed to reinforce innovative projects that
will increase employment in the rural environment and encourage
public-private partnerships. The first step in bringing this
project into being will be the signature of an agreement between
the State, represented by the Préfecture de l’Orne and the
regional Park.
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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has
appealed to the public to keep places clean and mind their own
safety while celebrating the Christmas holiday. Several
government departments will implement a series of measures to
maintain the cleanliness and safety in LCSD venues, especially
in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC), Tsim Sha Tsui
Promenade, Avenue of Stars (AOS) and UC Centenary Garden where
large crowds are expected. Together with law enforcement teams
of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Police,
the Department will strengthen patrols at venues in the Tsim Sha
Tsui area and take action against littering, illegal hawking and
vandalism of public property. Along the seafront sides at the
AOS and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, barriers will be placed to
create one-metre-wide buffer zones to prevent anyone from
accidentally falling into the harbour. In crowded areas people
are reminded to remain calm and mind their safety. To help
pedestrian flow, all removable items in the areas will be taken
away. Anti-littering and crowd management messages in Cantonese,
Putonghua and English will be broadcast regularly through public
announcement systems.
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UK and New Zealand scientists researching Sustainable
Consumption and Low Impact Urban Design and Development will
meet in New Zealand next March as part of the British Council’s
International Networking for Young Scientists (INYS) programme.
INYS aims to put UK scientists in contact with overseas
counterparts to promote the creative exchange of ideas. The two
INYS events in March will be staged in conjunction with Landcare
Research. Five UK and five New Zealand scientists will be chosen
for each event. They will come together for ten days of
workshops and social activities in Auckland, Wellington and
Canterbury, including a retreat at the Landcare Research lodge
at Craigieburn. British Council New Zealand Director Paula
Middleton says the INYS programme aims to foster lasting
international collaboration among the participants leading to
possible joint research projects.
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Fodor Farm is Norwalk in Connecticut’s last remaining farm,
originally scheduled for redevelopment with plans for the
demolishment of three historic houses and the building of a new
elementary school on the site. The Stamford Advocate reports
that the City’s Parks and Recreation Department is now hoping to
receive a state grant to develop a community garden at this
historic site. The benefits to the community would be wide,
including offering healthy activity and educational
opportunities. It could also be a boost to the local Farmers
Market in a largely built up area. To save the property, a
coalition has been formed led by the Norwalk Preservation Trust
and an innovative plan developed for the area to become “a
nature centre without walls”. Public access would be secured
with trails and interpretive plaques. The New England character
of the landscape would be restored with the removal of invasive
plant species and the encouragement of native woodland and
pasture.
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Nick Galvin’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald discusses
conflicting emotional responses to the culling of deer in the
area from Royal National Park to Ulladulla in the south and west
into suburbs such as Sutherland and Grays Point. Over population
and environment damage, has led the National Parks and Wildlife
Service with little choice but to carry out a regular cull.
These operations often take place at night to spare the
sensibilities of the area’s residents. Deer do considerable
damage to urban gardens and some consider them as much a pest as
any other. However, the Indonesian Rusa deer are beautiful
creatures and excite more sympathy than do cane toads, for
example. Many feel that they have as much right as humans to
colonise the area. They were introduced a hundred years ago into
a fenced area of the park and opponents to culling feel that the
deer should be treated as a tourist attraction with areas set
aside for them.
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A new scheme to plant a tree for every new baby and adopted
child in Wales will begin in the New Year, forging a strong link
between children and their environment, the Welsh Assembly
Government’s First Minister Rhodri Morgan has announced. The
scheme, called Plant!, was originally announced in February this
year and is a commitment in the One Wales programme as part of
the Welsh Assembly Government’s drive to have a sustainable
environment. By planting up to 30 hectares of new woodland a
year, the scheme will make a significant contribution to the
creation of a Welsh National Forest of native trees.
Approximately 35,000 children are born or adopted in Wales
each year, and when Plant! gets under way the families of every
child born or adopted will receive a certificate telling them
where their child’s tree is planted and how they can go and
visit the site. The scheme has been set up on behalf of the
Welsh Assembly Government by Coed Cadw (Woodland Trust) and
Forestry Commission Wales.
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The Khaleej Times reports that the residents of Muscat have a
new ‘destination’ this year to explore and relax during the Eid
Al Adha holidays. The sprawling Al Sahwa Gardens will provides
the right ambience for them to spend their time in the most
enjoyable way. One of the biggest parks in the country, Al Sahwa,
located in Seeb, near a key junction that links Muscat with the
other regions of the country, occupies 300,000 square metres. It
consists of not one but six gardens named after the six wilayats
(administrative divisions) of the capital governorate — Muscat,
Seeb, Bausher, Muttrah, Al Amerat and Quriyat. The park boasts,
among other features, three electronically operated musical
fountains, a piazza, 300 date palms and hundreds of blossoming
trees and shrubs. A spokesman for Muscat Municipality says that
it is a superb example of Islamic architecture and is meant to
provide “a suitable social environment for families to get
together and for children to play in open areas”. Al Sahwa is
also Oman's first public park to offer physical fitness
facilities and equipment for adults and there are specially
earmarked areas for walking and jogging. It has a horse riding
school, restaurant and coffee shops, information centre and a
mosque. An amusement park for children is among new facilities
planned in the second phase.
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Express India reports on proposals being considered by the
Pune Municipal Corporation to restrict privately run events in
public parks and gardens. There has been concern that increased
use of parks and gardens for private functions may cause damage
to the amenity and annoyance to local residents. It is suggested
that permission for a function should not be given when there is
opposition from residents and that there should also be a total
ban on political functions. However, events that encourage
awareness and a regard for nature and the environment should
normally be granted permission and the registration fee waived.
Under these proposals, all events should be open to the public
at no cost and organisations would be required to indemnity the
administration against any damage caused. Pune is a city located
in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and is widely
considered the cultural capital of the region with many
educational establishments.
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According to the Minister of Forestry, who presented a forest
status report to the state parliament, the proportion of healthy
trees in Bavaria’s forests rose by twenty-six percent. The
deciduous trees have been recovering substantially better than
the coniferous trees. The biggest problem continues to be with
firs and oaks, where more than three-quarters of the trees are
ailing. The report expresses particular concern with regard to
the Alpine region, where the situation has barely improved. It
has been announced that in the coming years 7.5 million euros
will be made available for protective measures in the mountain
forests and 15 million for redevelopment of the forests. The
main threat to the trees continues to be climate change,
pollution and human activity.
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Tony Burke, the newly-appointed Federal Minister for
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, has taken a helicopter
flight over Tasmania’s forests to investigate the issues that
comes within his remit. Conservationists are keen to engage the
Minister in debate and to encourage him to look at the situation
from all perspectives. In particular, the community wishes to
see identified areas of native forest permanently protected. The
Minister is being urged to carry out a full consultation with
all stakeholders and not rely solely on the information provided
by representatives of the timber industry with vested interests
in maintaining the current levels of logging and wood-chipping.
The Minister is being asked to the threat to wildlife, climatic
implications and the degradation of water catchment areas, as
well as World Heritage values.
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The Yardstick™ projects strive to assist with raising the
standards in public parks, swimming pools and community
facilities through benchmarking and user survey feed back.
The projects have been developed by the parks and recreation
industry through sharing of ideas through technical groups of
industry representatives.
Yardstick™ provides indicators of performance, provision and
cost and members have used information to assist in reviewing
levels of service, identifying areas of costly operational
maintenance, establishing fees and charges as well as
identifying policy development and sharing of this information.
The Yardstick™ projects are operated in conjunction with Ifpra
with over 100 council/trusts as members.
The projects are designed to enable members to retain ongoing
membership for the long term to reap the greatest benefits.
Yardstick™ Projects include
Yardstick™ Parks - annual benchmarking project for parks
managers
Yardstick™ ParkCheck - user intercept survey for parks
Membership for Yardstick™ Parks project in 2008 closes in April
2008
Contacts
Full project information and membership forms are available from
www.yardstickglobal.com or by contact
yardstick@prophetiam.com or contact Alan Smith Ifpra General
Secretary Ifpraworld@aol.com
Chris Rutherford, Phone +64 21 351 602 Skype Chris.L.Rutherford
Brian Milne, Phone +64 21 359 041 Skype BrianMilne420
P O Box 127, Tauranga, New Zealand 3140
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2008 July 6th-10th
12th National School in Park Management – The Future of
Parks-where to now? Sub-themes include design and planning,
community and partnerships, climate change and water, and
challenges in emergency and risk.
Queen's College, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
Australia
Email: David Aldous at
daldous@unimelb.edu.au
2008 May 18-22
16th Australia Weeds Conference – Weed Management 2008
Cairns, Australia
www.rydges.com/14/event/RQCAIR/Rydges-Plaza-Cairns/4852/16th-Australian-Weeds-Conference-to-be-held-in-Cairns.htm
2008 May 20-24
Chelsea Flower Show
Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, U.K.
rhs.org.uk/whatson/events/chelsea2008.htm
2008 Aug 13-16
Flowers Gardens and Parks of Siberia Landscape Architecture
Exhibition
International Exhibition Centre, Novosibirsk, Russia.
sibflower.sibfair.ru/eng/
2008 Sept. 15-18
Ifpra Asia Pacific Congress
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.ifpra2008.com/
Contact: Paul Wilson on paulw@qldc.govt.nz or telephone 0064 3
441 0467
2008 Oct 6-10
10th World Leisure Congress
Quebec City, Canada
www.worldleisure.org/events/congresses/10thCongress_2008/congress2008.html
2008 Oct 15-17
EMSU 2008 International Conference: A New Knowledge Culture –
Universities facing global changes for sustainability
Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain.
www.emsu.org
2008 Nov 9-12
Parks and Leisure Australia National Conference
Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Email:
office@parks-leisure.com.auailto
2008 Dec 7-11
Vth International Symposium on Horticultural Research Training
and Extension
Pang Suan Kaew Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand
www.ishs.org/wri/pap1.htm
2009, June 15-17
2009 Ifpra European Congress – Modern Society: Balance with
Nature
Mikkeli, Finland
Contact: Viljo Muuronen on
viljo.muuronen@mikkeli.fi
2011 July 24-30
XVIII International Botanical Congress
Melbourne Australia
www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/ibc-2011/
UK
U.S.A.
U.K.
Germany
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