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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BEST PRACTICES? Best Practices (BPs) are innovative, dynamic management tools available to practitioners to ensure Minnesota’s parks and outdoor recreation areas are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible. Think of BPs as practical guidelines - not rigid standards. They are the current state of what is working well for an organization and worth sharing within the outdoor recreation community. Practitioners are challenged to improve upon existing BPs; and document and share their improvements with colleagues. WHERE DO BPs COME FROM? If you are on this website you are a potential source of BPs! You and your colleagues are both the source and audience for BPs. Also, if you can be a resource for others, or if you have resources to share that do not fit the Best Practice format, we want that information as well. It’s easy to share your BPs, or other Resources, simply Click here to submit your BPs or other Resources. BEST PRACTICES REGIONAL WORKSHOP ARCHIVES May 22, 2007: Best Practices Capstone Event at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. The final event of the Best Practices for Parks and Outdoor Recreation project focused on key issues that were identified during the Best Practices project. Those issues are:
April 11 & 12, 2007: Best Practices Regional Workshop at Grand Superior Lodge in Two Harbors. This 2-day event focused on issues of critical importance to outdoor recreation providers in northeastern Minnesota. There was excellent representation and participation by city, township, county, state and federal outdoor recreation professionals; academics and private consultants. Highlights included:
February 7 & 8 , 2007: Best Practices Regional Workshop at Owatonna Arts Center. This 2-day event focused on issues of critical importance to outdoor recreation providers in southern Minnesota. There was excellent representation and participation by city, township, county, state and federal outdoor recreation professionals. Highlights included humorist Al Batt, energy efficiency and obesity presentations; discussions about how we pay for parks; plus a trails panel. Click here to view presentations November 14-17, 2006: Minnesota Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference. The Best Practices project sponsored the keynote speaker on November 15th. Ken Finch, founder and president of Green Hearts, Institute for Nature in Childhood presented on the declining involvement of youth and young adults in the great outdoors. The keynote was followed by a working session that engaged participants in discussion to identify solutions to reverse this troubling trend. November 14-17, 2006: Minnesota Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference. The Best Practices project sponsored the keynote speaker on November 15th. Ken Finch, founder and president of Green Hearts, Institute for Nature in Childhood presented on the declining involvement of youth and young adults in the great outdoors. The keynote was followed by a working session that engaged participants in discussion to identify solutions to reverse this troubling trend. October 11 & 12 2006: Best Practices Regional Workshop at Itasca State Park. This 2-day event focused on issues of critical importance to outdoor recreation providers in northern Minnesota. There was excellent representation and participation by city, township, county, state and federal outdoor recreation professionals. Among the highlights was the evening fireside roundtable discussion, where best practices, challenges, and opportunities facing park and outdoor recreation professionals across Minnesota were openly shared. Click here to view presentations October 3, 2006: Twenty-eight people from city, county and state agencies participated in a training session for the Best Practices Cross-Agency Mentoring Program at Bunker Park in Anoka County. Ed Jones and Erika Tierney, professional trainers with the DNR, lead a 2 ½ hour session that provided mentors and mentees with a framework to help guide their professional development and objectives of the mentoring relationship. This pilot program was a direct result of concern expressed at the Best Practices Summit about the pending “brain drain” resulting from “Boomers” retiring. A mentoring program is just one way to tap into this institutional knowledge and experience while developing future leaders. If you are interested in participating in a potential future mentoring program, please contact Bethani Gerhard (gerhard@mnrecpark.org) or Emmett Mullin (Emmett.mullin@dnr.state.mn.us). September 20 & 21, 2006: The Best Practices project co-sponsored the Natural Resources Workshop at Maplewood Community Center. The keynote speaker, Terry Gips, President, Alliance for Sustainability, presented an introduction to sustainability and the Natural Step Framework – how it can benefit you at home, work and in the community. He shared several simple, practical steps you can take to save money, time and the environment while protecting the health and well-being of you, your children and future generations. New this year at the Natural Resources Workshop: Best Practices Showcase. Thirty-seven agencies and non-profits showcased a range of best practices that benefit parks and outdoor recreation. There was a wide range of practices shared – including archery as a life sport, geocaching in parks, the new DNR Trails Manual, using technology to map terrestrial invasives, tips and tools for conducting prescribed burns in urban areas; and much more! Click here for workshop presentations Click here to check out the proceedings from the Best Practices Summit held in April, 2006 at the MN Landscape Arboretum. |
Funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by
the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources
Co-Sponsored By Minnesota Recreation and Park Association & Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Project Information