recreation & public access

Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership The Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership was designed to reconnect marginalized communities in the Bronx to healthy […]

The white paper–created by the Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership, NY/NJ Harbor and Estuary Program, and the USDA Forest Service–reports on findings from a public outreach project targeted at […]

The River Access Planning Guide is a publication resulting from a collaboration between American Whitewater, the River Management Society, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the […]

Groundwork Elizabeth was founded in 2003 with the goal of re-establishing recreational access along the Elizabeth River, educating and engaging the community, and restoring habitats. To accomplish the goals, Groundwork […]

Join the National Water Trails Learning Network to step through the phases of water trail development, discuss the challenges and successes faced when creating and sustaining river access, and dive into a case study of a successful national water trail.

This report compiles informative case studies, focusing on programs that have successfully incorporated artists, art, and culture into their place-based, transformative approaches. These programs aimed to address affordability issues, make connections between people and their environment, promote holistic water resource management, increase community participation, mitigate and remediate damages, integrate community needs into infrastructure, and support community activism.

With new water uses in these sections of the LA River and more revitalization on the horizon, water quality monitoring for public health and community engagement becomes chiefly important. Heal the Bay – an organization based in Santa Monica, California – has a strong history promoting environmental awareness and advocating for public health through their Beach Report Card program. Over the years they have found that when people are informed about water quality issues, they are more motivated to take care of their environment. In cooperation with students from Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) and funded by EPA’s Urban Waters small grant program, Heal the Bay expanded this initiative to create a River Report Card for the LA River and other freshwater areas where people recreate and swim.

Service learning is a powerful tool for connecting people and their communities to local parks and natural areas. To celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, the REI Foundation partnered with the National Park Foundation to fund projects that introduce underserved, inner-city youth to their nearby national parks and engage them in service projects to improve them. The project purpose is to foster stewardship among participants, help them to discover opportunities for outdoor recreation, and instill the value of nature and our nations’ parks—both national and local.

By focusing on Philadelphia and comparing this city's mobility rates with other gentrification and displacement studies, it becomes evident that the effects of gentrification are extremely complex and can affect populations in a variety of ways depending on income level and other demographics.

Recreation in streams and rivers is a popular activity in the Los Angeles region. Yet, there is a lack of data on the water quality of these freshwater recreational areas […]