We are blessed to have you out in the front lines - Our Thanks

Dear Colleagues,
 
As parks and recreation professionals, our worlds have changed dramatically over the past several weeks.  We have shifted our efforts to ensuring parks, open spaces and nature, remain safely open to our residents to ensure they can receive their critical “Nature Fix”.  As parks and recreation professionals, we have always known the critical value of parks and recreation for our physical, mental and emotional well-being.   The criticalness of parks, green spaces and nature have risen to the forefront of our human survival during this health pandemic around the world.  Every corner of our planet is experiencing the high use of these spaces and the need for us as park professionals to be responsive and flexible in how we ensure these spaces continue to be open and accessible to all.  
 
We have had to be creative in how we provide access to these spaces.  Virtual tours, virtual environmental education classes to help with home-schooling, creative park maintenance practices that ensure safe practices for our employees and visitors.  With our programs and facilities closed to reduce the spread of this vicious virus, we have had to shift our services in other ways and step into the front line to care.  Turning our recreation centres into childcare centres for emergency responders and workers who are caring for those who have contracted the virus.  We have turned our facilities into food distribution sites to ensure all our residents have access to food.  We have turned our facilities into homeless shelters to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. And, we have turned our ice rinks into morgues.  
 
We are doing all of this work while we are scared we will get the virus, that we will put our families in jeopardy – all to care for others in our communities and to ensure that our park spaces continue to provide that essential respite for our souls and our health.  
 
We are blessed to have you out in the front lines doing all you do to care for others and keeping our critical park spaces open and available to save others and our planet!
 
Thank you all for all you are doing every day!
 
#NatureNeverCloses
 
Jayne Miller
Chair
World Urban Parks