| Catch up on the latest news and happenings around the state. |
Lincoln Park in Seattle Gets a New Resident!
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Come meet Bruun Idun, newly residing at Lincoln Park! Thank you to artist Thomas Dambo and Seattle Parks and Recreation staff and volunteers who helped create this beauty from recycled materials!
The Troll is part of the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King project, which features six giant hand-built troll sculptures by Danish environmental artist, Thomas Dambo. The publicly-accessible sculptures will be located around the Pacific Northwest where each whimsical troll sculpture is part of an underlying environmental story. The project celebrates the human experience of art by amplifying the connections of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Scandinavian traditions. "At the night there was a storm, there at the beach where she was born.And Idun felt a feeling wrong, and so she walked there in the dawn.And on her flute the magic horn, a tunes so passionate and strong.She played for them orca song, to ask them where they all have gone."
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Spotlight Professional: Samuel Howarth
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Key Pen Parks - Parks and Facilities Manager
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As the Parks and Facilities Manager for Key Pen Parks, Samuel manages the maintenance team. His maintenance team of seven staff is small but mighty. They maintain all the parks and facilities. This includes over 1,000 acres of open space and parkland including playgrounds, a splash pad, multi-use trails, waterfront properties, caretaker properties, baseball fields, picnic areas, dog parks, restrooms, disc golf, basketball court and skate park. His job is to make sure they have everything they need to be successful.
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Share Your Story: WRPA is looking to spotlight members with different backgrounds, experiences, and work histories. Please complete this form and send it to our Communications Committee chair, Carl Strong, at [email protected] ifyou would like to be featured in an upcoming newsletter.
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Overcoming Barriers to Park Equity
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Park equity is having its renaissance right now. I have been working toward equity for a while, and during the first 20 years of my career I didn’t see a fraction of the movement toward racial equity in parks as I’ve seen since 2020. A lot of things happened that year: Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, protests, the impeachment trial, derechos, wildfires, murder hornets, locust swarms and more.
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NRPA Announces Vernā Myers as the Keynote Speaker for the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference
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Announcements & Highlights
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Attention Agency Members: Upcoming Membership Dues Increase
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Starting January 1, 2024, there will be a 5% increase in dues for all WRPA Agency Members. The last increase was in 2018 where we opened up our Agency Membership to include all employees. This was a big step for WRPA and we hope it has benefited your agency and employees. This 5% increase will support the increasing cost of doing business and expand funds for programs and services offerings.
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Registration is still open for the 2023 WRPA Fall Training happening on Thursday, November 2. We are happy to be in-person at the Tukwila Community Center. Enhance your leadership potential by attending this event where you will learn new skills that you can immediately implement within your organization.
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Session Track Presenter for the Fall Training Event
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Jesus M. Villahermosa Jr.
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This is a must attend for professionals that manage any facility, camp, special event or program. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity.
REGISTER NOW
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Our current WRPA President Jennifer Wills and Doug Levy are currently working to update the WRPA Strategic Plan. As part of that they are doing a “Presidential Road Show Tour” and are coming to our area. The meeting will be from 2:00-3:30 PM at the Old Town Center in Tumwater and is open to all WRPA members (which includes all of you since we have an Agency Membership).
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PREP University Speaker Pool
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Want to stay up-to-date and maybe become a top fan? Follow WRPA on social media!
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The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is looking for advisory committee members to help guide how outdoor recreation and conservation is funded across Washington state. Advisors score grant applications and give policy feedback for one of RCO’s grant programs, which range from recreation development to habitat conservation. RCO is currently seeking advisors with habitat conservation or parks and recreation backgrounds on the WWRP Habitat Acquisition, Habitat Restoration, Local Parks, State Lands Development, State Larks, Trails, and Water Access advisory committees and on the Community Athletic Facilities advisory committee. Most grant review work takes place over a few days in the summer or fall and can be completed remotely online. Stipends are available to eligible committee members. Visit RCO’s website or contact Tessa Cencula ([email protected]) for more information.
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WRPA is a membership-driven organization. By sharing your energy and expertise, you can help make WRPA an even more effective professional resource.
Become a volunteer and help WRPA grow. Learn more about valuable opportunities today!
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WRPA Networks are specialized groups that meet on a regular basis and communicate online. Joining a WRPA network gives you the opportunity to meet others in your specific field, like aquatics, maintenance, and programs.
Find your WRPA Network today.
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Thank You Renewing Members
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Individual Members:
- AHBL, Inc
- City of Sunnyside
- Everett Parks & Facilities
- King County Parks & Recreation Division
- Kalispel Metal Products
- Lake Stevens School District
- Puyallup School District
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Member Data from September – October
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