Michel T.R.N. de Omena T.R.N. de Omena, Rafael de Oliveira Dura Escrich, N. Hanazaki
{"title":"Information Technology for Participatory, Dynamic Administration of Brazilian National Parks","authors":"Michel T.R.N. de Omena T.R.N. de Omena, Rafael de Oliveira Dura Escrich, N. Hanazaki","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2023-11528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2023-11528","url":null,"abstract":"Information Technology tools have evolved and can be useful in bringing society closer to the administration of Protected Areas through Citizen Science-type initiatives. This study developed and tested two tools for National Parks (NPs)(Beta versions): 1) a cellphone app (Parceir@s Parques Nacionais), and 2) a website (Conserva Parques) that we hope will enable users to interact with NP managers who can gain more direct access to visitors’ perceptions. The app’s goal is to establish user-manager interactions through the registration of occurrences in the NPs, and through the website, thus providing society with a prediction of the degree of nature conservation in NPs by making hypothetical alterations to public use variables. The perceptions of those “beta-testers” were registered in an online form. Both tools achieved approval ratings of over 75%. The conclusion is that the testing of both tools developed in this study can progress to a phase directly with NP users.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42791970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Should I Stay, or Should I Go Now? The Impact of Psychological Contract Breach in Volunteerism","authors":"Pam Kappelides, R. Hoye, G. Cuskelly","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2023-10566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2023-10566","url":null,"abstract":"Given the extent of the contribution of volunteers to nonprofit organizations, one aspect of managing volunteers effectively is the potential importance of understanding the nature of psychological contract breaches and how they impact the volunteering experience and future intentions of volunteers. Three elements are considered to comprise the PC of a volunteer: (1) a transactional element that covers whether an organization provides adequate nonmonetary benefits, training, and preparation in exchange for a volunteer’s time, skills, and effort; (2) a relational element where organizations provide support for volunteers via supervisors or managers in return for volunteer’s loyalty or commitment to the organization; and (3) an ideological element or connection to the organization based on an alignment between an individual’s beliefs and values and those espoused by the organization or the cause that is supported by the organization (Hoye & Kappelides, 2021). We explore these concepts in the context of therapeutic camps in Australia where volunteer camp leaders are central to the experience of campers, leading program activities, providing guidance and support or even personal care. We conducted 32 in-depth interviews with volunteers from nonprofit therapeutic camping organizations to examine the degree to which psychological contract breach(es) may impact volunteers' intention to continue volunteering. The purpose of the study was to establish the main forms of PC breach in therapeutic camping organizations, and determine the association of the ideological element of a PC held by volunteers toward mitigating the impact these breaches might have on future program contribution and retention of therapeutic camping volunteers. Evidence from this study indicated that the ideological element of a volunteer’s psychological contract may play a central role in the decision to continue volunteering in the face of violations of the relational or transactional elements of their psychological contract with their organization. In this context, the concept of the ideological element of PCs can provide organizations with a deeper understanding of volunteers’ expectations and behaviors from the start of a relationship by setting clear standards and roles surrounding how to best support a valued cause from the start of a relationship that may be key to reducing the risk of PC breaches. Organizations may improve volunteer retention by providing support and opportunities that are specific to the ideological components of the PC that volunteers are seeking.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48062613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Changing Interpretations of the Nexus and Developer Credit Elements in Parkland Dedication Ordinances","authors":"J. Crompton","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2023-11679","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2023-11679","url":null,"abstract":"Parkland dedication is receiving increasing attention from cities because it provides capital funding without raising taxes on existing residents. Its parameters are dependent on interpretation of court rulings and in the past decade these have changed in ways that substantially enhance the potential of these revenues for local governments. The changes invariably become the focus of controversies between developers who resist paying the dedication fees and elected officials who are charged with safeguarding the interest of taxpayers. This paper addresses two central areas of controversy: Changes in interpretations of what constitutes a “nexus”; and the magnitude and characteristics of credits given to developers who provide park amenities in their projects. The “essential nexus” principle requires there to be a reasonably proximate connection between facilities developed with the resources derived from a dedication and the residents who will reside in the development providing those resources. A recent census of the 73 cities in Texas that have parkland dedication ordinances was analyzed and the relative merits of five different approaches they have used for defining service areas is discussed: a single city-wide zone, pre-determined zones; reasonable proximity; specified distance; and a hybrid model of distance/pre-established zones. Among the 73 ordinances reviewed, approximately half believed the most equitable ratio for crediting developers for park amenities they provided within subdivisions was 50%. Among the others, maximum credit varied from 0% to 100%. The relative merits are evaluated, together with the extent to which floodplain land and retention ponds are acceptable to meet a dedication requirement.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42684536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Content and Area Income Disparities in Recreation Center Website Promotion of Physical Activity","authors":"David Kahan, T. McKenzie, Olivia Kallai","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11332","url":null,"abstract":"Physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits; however, both children and adults in the U.S. fall short of national PA recommendations. Diverse agencies have identified the importance of recreation professionals playing an ac-tive role in providing and promoting PA, including via recreation centers. Few studies have examined the contributions public recreation centers make in pro-viding residents with opportunities for PA, and those that exist offer mixed results concerning the influence of neighborhood family income levels.Recreation center websites are a popular, cost-efficient, and flexible me-dium for providing information about PA and center programs. We completed a line-by-line analysis of the content of the websites of all public recreation centers (N = 58) in the city of San Diego, California. We extracted the days and hours the centers operated as well as PA facil-ity types and programs they provided. Program details were identified, includ-ing content, frequency/duration for classes, participants targeted, and enrollment costs. Additionally, we generated information about local neighborhoods, includ-ing family median income levels. Diverse statistical analyses were conducted, overall, and by a median split for neighborhood income status. On average, centers had 4.5 PA facilities and were open 59 hours/week, with no differences by neighborhood income. Meanwhile, centers in higher-income areas provided significantly more programs (5.3 vs 2.3). Overall, 33 distinct facility types were identified, but only gymnasia and outdoor basketball courts were listed by over 50% of centers. Fifty distinct programs were identified, with dance, teen center, basketball, and volleyball mentioned most frequently.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41538162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Zou, Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Andrew J. Kerins, Mary Ellen Wuellner, Izabelle Jaquet
{"title":"Voting Yes for Funding Public Parks: The Effectiveness of Social Media Communication in a Tax Referendum Campaign","authors":"S. Zou, Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Andrew J. Kerins, Mary Ellen Wuellner, Izabelle Jaquet","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11551","url":null,"abstract":"Although local park and recreation agencies rely on various types of funding, tax-based allocations are the most significant funding source. Unfortunately, tax-based allocations have not kept pace with growing user demands and maintenance backlogs. As such, successful tax referenda are becoming critical for sustained operations and capital investment. Among the various activities that may sway public opinion, strategic messaging through a variety of media may be one of the most important. Using a county-level public park agency’s 2020 tax referendum as a case study, the purpose of this study is to identify successful communication strategies of open space referendum campaigns that secure support from voters. Data were collected from the campaign’s official Facebook page to examine what message content and post type were effective in increasing voter awareness and engagement. Results from regressions showed that messages that explained the ballot in plain language (e.g., Simplify Ballot Language), demonstrated support or approval from local organizations or local champions/celebrities (e.g., Endorsement), broke down the total amount of tax being requested (i.e., Temporal Reframing), and empha-sized the direct benefits if the referendum were passed (i.e., Direct Outcome) were most effective in increasing the awareness of the referendum. Among Facebook page followers, posts that demonstrated campaign efforts/activities (i.e., Demon-stration) and acknowledged individuals’ or organizations’ efforts to support the campaign (i.e., Acknowledgement) effectively increased engagement. In terms of Facebook post types, photo posts and video posts generally performed better than link and shared video posts. The study has three main practical implications for open space referenda advocates and managers concerned with campaign commu-nication: (1) solicit and demonstrate support from highly regarded local organiza-tions or individuals; (2) emphasize the direct benefits and break down the total amount of tax being asked; and (3) use short videos and scenic images.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42713927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Imagining the End of Racism through Summer Camps","authors":"D. Theriault","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11736","url":null,"abstract":"In response to worldwide protests for racial justice in 2020 and 2021, Dustin et al. (2021) called on recreation professionals to eradicate racial oppression. The focus of the present commentary is on the tools through which such an eradication might be carried out within summer camps. In particular, this essay builds on the work of Mariame Kaba (2020) and the generations of activists of color before her (e.g., Kelley, 2002) to assert that imagination is essential to any effort to end racism in summer camps. Three areas to which our imagination might be applied are presented: the benefits of summer camp, the shift from I to we, and the courage to experiment and fail.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47157887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Access to Recreation in Rural Communities: Municipal Recreation’s Approaches to Supporting Citizens Living with Low Incomes","authors":"Jackie Oncescu, Megan Fortune, Julia S. Frigault","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11221","url":null,"abstract":"Rural communities often have fewer resources and supports to cultivate recreation participation, making participation in recreation less accessible for citizens with low incomes. Such barriers highlight the important role rural recreation practi-tioners have in terms of developing and delivering access provisions for these citi-zens. The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) explore the access provisions recreation practitioners design and deliver to rural citizens with low incomes, and 2) discuss the implications of the access provisions in relation to the rural con-text and citizens with low incomes’ participation in recreation. This paper focuses on research conducted in 2019-2020 in Atlantic Canada. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 municipal recreation practitioners. Through the social ecological framework, the results revealed three access provi-sions designed for and delivered to rural citizens with low incomes: 1) one-on-one support for programmatic processes; 2) flexibility with financial policies and programs; and 3) building reach, relevancy, and capacity: the role of community partnerships. Based on these findings, this study addresses the benefits of these provisions in terms of supporting access to recreation for citizens with low in-comes residing in rural communities. Considering the rural landscape, we recom-mend access provisions in rural communities encompass more personal, flexible, and community approaches to support access to recreation for citizens of limited financial means.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42015874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Gaslin, Alexsandra Dubin, Jacob Sorenson, Nila J. Rosen, B. Garst, Beth Schultz
{"title":"The Unexpected Positive Outcomes for Summer Camps in the Time of COVID-19","authors":"T. Gaslin, Alexsandra Dubin, Jacob Sorenson, Nila J. Rosen, B. Garst, Beth Schultz","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11425","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic completely upended the camping industry, posing unique and significant challenges to youth summer engagement experiences, with many camps choosing not to operate in the summer of 2020. These canceled programs resulted in staff layoffs and loss of revenue. Some state requirements necessitated camp closures, while other camps closed due to uncertainty about the ability to provide a safe, healthy camp experience that retained the essence of summer camp. The small portion of camps that did open were forced to be cre-ative in how they offered programs. Some camps chose to run limited in-person programs, some offered family camps for family units, while others transitioned to virtual camp experiences. For these camps that did run in some capacity, several national organizations were able to gather data regarding operational challenges and benefits. Using document analysis, this project examined research findings from four national camp organizations. This cross-organizational analysis high-lights the experiences of camps offering in-person summer programs and services in implementing nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in 2020. Camps used a variety of NPIs that involved both personal responsibility and community cooperation to create a camp experience that was socially distant and as sanitary as possible. This study also examines the experiences of camps offering virtual programs and services as a means to connect with individuals and support socialization needs of youth. These virtual programs varied widely, but all provided youth the opportunity to connect with like-minded campers and staff to have community building experiences despite isolation. In the context of many COVID-19 challenges, this study identifies positive benefits associated with operating camp in the summer of 2020. These unexpected positive impacts encompass health center operations, food service, programmatic changes, changes to the structure of camper units, and a shifting focus toward mental, emo-tional, and social health. Many of these positive outcomes are perceived by camp administrators as beneficial changes that will likely remain after the pandemic and continue to impact the camping industry for the foreseeable future.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49050064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Lauren E. Mullenbach, Benjamin Hickerson
{"title":"Attitudes Toward Park and Recreation Agency Actions in Support of People Experiencing Homelessness","authors":"Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Lauren E. Mullenbach, Benjamin Hickerson","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2023-11725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2023-11725","url":null,"abstract":"Park and recreation providers are increasingly called upon to interface with and serve an unhoused user population. However, park and recreation agency policies are often inconsistent with increasingly progressive societal attitudes toward the issue of homelessness and people experiencing homelessness. Despite the growing salience of this issue, there is a relative lack of information regarding attitudes toward agency actions intended to support people experiencing homelessness. In this note, we use panel survey data to provide descriptive information and group comparisons via independent samples t-tests that we believe will prove useful for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers in this context. Our results indicate that while respondents are largely supportive of this type of agency action, park users, younger people, and those who are more affluent and economically conservative are more supportive of actions intended to support people experiencing homelessness.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47356900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Andrew J. Kerins, Sharon Zou, Izabelle Jaquet
{"title":"A Case Study of a Successful Park and Recreation Voter Referendum","authors":"Nicholas A. D. Pitas, Andrew J. Kerins, Sharon Zou, Izabelle Jaquet","doi":"10.18666/jpra-2022-11555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18666/jpra-2022-11555","url":null,"abstract":"Although other sources exist, tax-based funding accounts for the majority of operating budgets for NRPA member agencies. To keep pace with ongoing maintenance and service needs, and to increase agency capacity to provide services into the future, many municipal and county level agencies often turn to voter referenda – a form of direct democracy, wherein citizens in a given area hold decision making authority in specific elements of the public policy process – to increase tax-based funding. These referenda take a variety of forms, including permanent increases to property, income, or sales tax, or the approval of a one-time bond resolution. Despite their prevalence and importance, the scholarly body of work addressing the referendum process as a tool for open-space and environmental conservation is relatively small, with very little scholarly work specifically addressing referenda focused on community level park and recreation services. The purpose of this manuscript is to begin to address the gaps in knowledge surrounding the referendum process, specific to the financing of community park and recreation services. We employ a qualitative case study approach to examine the historical and contemporary context of a successful park and recreation referendum, conducting in-depth key-informant interviews with stakeholders within and external to the agency.","PeriodicalId":46684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Park and Recreation Administration","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47828923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}