The use of contractors for the performance of maintenance duties in parks and recreational facilities is recommended as a legitimate tool to improve productivity or upgrade quality. An example of the use of contracts is provided. (CJ)

As part of a research study, a fitness trail was designed for older adults to increase their physical fitness and cardiovascular health. Exercise stations placed at quarter-mile intervals introduced exercises effective in improving flexibility, muscular strength, endurance, balance, and coordination. (JN)

Characteristics of a safe and attractive bike trail are described. (JD)

This case study illustrates how neighboring counties can cooperate in a multicounty approach to regional park acquisition and system-wide park planning and funding. (JD)

Examines the role of park guards in the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador, in interpretation and visitor management. Presents strategies for involving the park guards, who function more as rangers, in interpretative activities with local people and national visitors. (LZ)

Reviews methods for interpreting cultural history in a park setting. Discusses programs used by the National Park Service along the Freedom Trail in old Boston and other programs conducted at the Boston National Historical Park. (LZ)

There is growing consensus that after school programs are needed to serve children of all ages. Parks and recreation departments need to recognize societal expectations and the forces driving the need for after school programs if they are to become significant players in the after school program movement. A sidebar discusses how to utilize…

In the 1990s, the National Recreation and Park Association launched the Benefits Movement, which is based on benefits-based programming, benefits-based management, and benefits-based awareness. This paper provides park and recreation educators with an overview of the Benefits Movement, exploring its utility as a means through which academia can…

Theme parks can have educational value for students and teachers when these cultural sites within the range of visual culture are understood as sites of experiential learning and as processes of mediation between visitors and park designers. Worthy of serious study, the theme park can be explored as a cultural vortex whose swirling forces…

This article describes a process of role-playing simulation (RPS) as it was used during an educational exercise in community dialogue in the Karkonosze Mountains region of southwest Poland. Over the past decade Karkonosze National Park, a regional tourist magnet, has provided an excellent example of environmental conflict emerging from the…

The original buildings in San Diego's (California) Balboa Park, were planned for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition. Loosely designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, local builders and craftsmen added their own interpretation by using materials found locally in Southern California and freely applying traditional architectural…

Discussed are limits and constraints associated with the design of small urban parks located in such a way as to optimize use. Factors affecting design strategies and solutions are listed, and four major design strategies are examined. Specifically, strategies involve space, time, innovative designs, and municipal laws and by-laws. (RH)

Several studies in the recreation, parks, and leisure literature have indicated that discrimination because of gender has affected the placement and advancement of women. Examination of the effect of gender on the selection of candidates for entry level positions in the recreation, parks, and leisure fields involved the evaluation of resumes of…