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Preserving and Connecting Parks and Special Places. Allen Dieterich Ward Assistant Professor of History Shippensburg University. Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special Places Background. Parks in the Progressive Era Origins of the Parks Movement Eastern and western models
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Preserving and Connecting Parks and Special Places Allen Dieterich Ward Assistant Professor of History Shippensburg University
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesBackground • Parks in the Progressive Era • Origins of the Parks Movement • Eastern and western models • Urban parks and “City Beautiful” • Environmental Determinism • What does park creation suggest about societal values? • Resource Conservation • Tension over “best use” Mira Lloyd Dock (1853-1945) Harrisburg Conservationist
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesBackground • Parks in the Postwar Era • Urban parks and juvenile delinquency • Regional parks and preserving “wilderness” • Parks in the Post-Industrial Era • Rise of Green and Blue Ways • Tension between “passive” and “active” recreation • Reconnecting communities and landscapes • Managing Landscapes • The Park Preservation Paradox Three Rivers Water Trail, Mon River, Allegheny County
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesIssues • Economic Challenges • Long-term • Ongoing tension between public and private use • Short Term • Multiple impacts of economic recession Proposed Casino near Gettysburg National Battlefield
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesIssues • Indoor Culture • Children and the Outdoors • Health problems • Instilling a land ethic • Car-Centered Lifestyles • Connection between local and global issues • Consequences of “sprawl” Family Fishing at Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesIssues • Technical Issues • Complexity of Park Management • Coordinating efforts on state, regional and local levels • Lack of a Basic Inventory • Consequences for management • Consequences for users
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesOpportunities • Expanding Public Support • Partnerships • Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy • PA Horticultural Society • Conservation Landscape Initiatives • Interagency Collaboration on the State Level • Public-Private Partnerships • Cooperation between State and Local Governments, Academic Institutions, Nonprofits, and Business Owners Workshop Participants in the Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation Landscape Initiative
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesOpportunities • Park Management and Services • State Outdoor Recreation Plan • Encourages State-Level Interagency Cooperation • Technological Innovation • Opportunities of GIS • Use new Explore PA Trails website as a model for a future “Explore PA Parks”
Preserving/Connecting Parks & Special PlacesSummary What do parks suggest about societal values? • Negotiating the tension between “passive” and “active” recreation. • Balancing public and private use in a time of declining budgets. • Role of parks in addressing contemporary problems. • Developing, maintaining and coordinating public-private partnerships.