Discover the Benefits of Parks and Recreation

The Powhatan County Parks and Recreation Department seeks to provide safe and enjoyable recreation and leisure opportunities for a diverse population, increase tourism, initiate beautification projects, and promote environmental awareness. Recreation plays an important part in keeping our minds and bodies fit and active. We invite you to visit our parks, participate in our special events or recreation program soon.

Powhatan County Parks and Recreation Top 10 Parks & Recreation Values:

The following "Top 10" list of park and recreation values is in no particular order; rather, it encompasses the range of why we believe that public parks and recreation is an essential part of our national heritage:

1. Public parks provide millions of Americans with the opportunity to be physically active. Physical activity is an essential part of an individual's efforts to stay healthy, fight obesity and prevent chronic conditions that lead to coronary disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Having close-to-home access to places where one can recreate is one of the most important factors linking whether people will become active and stay that way.

2. Parks have true economic benefits. Proximity to a developed state, regional or community park improves property value. The economic benefits of park and recreation areas are manifold, but one of the most significant is the increase in value of private land adjacent or near protected public land. The proximity of parks to residential areas leads to increased value of private land, a higher tax base and ultimately many economic benefits to a community including increased local and regional revenue from heritage tourism, steady jobs, and numerous small business benefits. Park and recreation areas are economic engines that improve the quality of life and make communities livable and desirable for businesses and homeowners.

3. Parks provide vital green space in a fast-developing American landscape, and provide vegetative buffers to construction and development, thus reducing the effects of sprawl. More importantly, parks and public lands also provide groundwater recharge areas, floodplain protection, natural sound barriers, stormwater protection from wetlands, reductions in heat island effects, and carbon uptake from abundant trees and vegetation. Parks keep our living environment healthy.

4. Parks preserve critical wildlife habitat. As our nation develops and our rural, agricultural and forest landscape is being lost, open space and wildlife habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate. The connected network of local, regional, state and national parks across our country provide permanently protected wildlife habitat corridors for thousands of indigenous and migratory wildlife species. In addition, stream valley parks and community parks allow natural wildlife to co-exist with people while providing enjoyment and educational opportunity for children and families.

5. Parks and recreation facilitate social interactions that are critical to maintaining community cohesion and pride. Parks provide a meeting place where community members can develop social ties, and where healthy behavior is modeled and admired. People gather to share experiences, socialize, and to build community bonds in common green spaces. These public commons are often the glue that holds the community together and the means to maintaining and improving future positive social interactions.

6. Leisure activities in parks improve moods, reduce stress and enhance a sense of wellness. In an increasingly complex world, more and more people are placing a high value on achieving the feelings of relaxation and peacefulness that contact with nature, recreation and exposure to natural open spaces bring. People go to the park to get in a better mood, to reinvigorate themselves and to decrease the anxieties of daily life.

7. Recreational programs provide organized, structured, enjoyable activities for all ages. The diverse range of recreational programs offered by public park and recreation agencies offers all Americans the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to successfully and confidently engage in sports, dance, crafts and other social activities. Public recreation leagues and classes offer seniors, adults and children alike the opportunity to interact with coaches and teachers who often turn into mentors and role models. Quality recreational programs facilitate safety, good sportsmanship and community participation.

8. Community recreation services provide a refuge of safety for at-risk youth. Many parents are rightfully concerned with the dangers of unstructured "hanging-out" or unsupervised after-school activities. Community recreation programs at public park and recreation facilities provide children with a safe refuge and a place to play, which are important in reducing at-risk behavior such as drug use and gang involvement. Recreational programs led by trained leaders offer children healthy role models and give valuable life lessons to help steer youth to a future of promise and opportunity for success.

9. Therapeutic recreation is an outlet for individuals with disabilities to be physically active, socially engaged and cognitively stimulated. A goal of all public recreation agencies is to provide access to all people. Public park and recreation agencies are the largest providers in America of high-quality, life-enhancing therapeutic recreation programs and interventions. Such programs prevent the on-set of secondary conditions due to inactivity; improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning; and slow the onset of regressive conditions.

10. Public parks embody the American tradition of preserving public lands for the benefit and use of all. Since the creation of the first national park and the subsequent development and growth of state, regional and local park systems in virtually every part of our nation, Americans have had a special relationship with their parks and public lands. A love of parks is one of the defining characteristics of our national identity. Americans love their parks, historical sites, national monuments, recreation areas and public open spaces because they bring such joy and pleasure to all people. In addition, the American public has shown time after time that they are willing to care for their parks, protect them, and pay for them.

The Benefits of Parks & Recreation

A strong park & recreation system is essential for a thriving community.

Individual Benefits – Opportunities for people to experience purpose, pleasure, health and well-being.

Community Benefits – Opportunities to live and interact with families, work groups, neighbors, other communities, and general public.

Environmental Benefits – Enhances the desirability of an area as well as contributes to the health and safety of its inhabitants.

Economic Benefits – Investment in the future for the viability of people and places. Big contributor to the Quality of Life of communities which is an enticement to healthy economic development.

Four out of five North Americans use their local recreation and park system.

Seventy percent have a park or recreation facility within walking distance of their home.

Our parks are such a stable influence on our lives that we tend not to give them much thought. Bur effective parks and recreation facilities do not just happen on their own. They require professional care and financial support to keep them clean, safe and suitable for the community they serve.

When citizens get involved with their park and recreation systems, their quality of life improves. Parks and recreation opportunities encourage citizens to be engaged in their communities -- as volunteers, stewards, advocates and students.

Our investment in parks and recreation facilities should reflect their importance to our communities. Local park and recreation systems have a $55 billion backlog in capital investment needs. Addressing the under-funded needs of state and local park and recreation systems should be a national priority.

Our health, our community, our economy and our environment all benefit from investments in parks and recreation opportunities.

Our Health. Access to parks and recreation facilities leads to healthy lifestyles for people of all ages. Activities in parks can build self-esteem, reduce stress and improve overall wellness.

Our Community. Parks give communities a vital identity. Well-maintained, accessible parks and recreation facilities are key elements of strong, safe, family-friendly communities.

Our Economy. Parks enhance property values, contribute to healthy and productive workforces and help attract and retain businesses.

Our Environment. Parks play a key role in preserving water and air quality, reducing congestion and protecting wildlife. People learn about the environment firsthand in parks and take those lessons home with them.

Below you can read about some of the many benefits of Parks & Recreation programs and services. Then we invite you to tell us how Parks & Recreation benefits your life. You can Email your comments to kmyers@powhatanva.gov

The Benefits are Endless...

The effective delivery of parks and recreation services provides many benefits to the community including:

Social Benefits

Leisure opportunities, facilities and the quality of the local environment are the foundations of community pride.

Recreating together builds strong families, the foundation for a stronger society.

Leisure provides opportunities of community involvement, shared management and ownership of resources.

Recreation promotes ethnic and cultural harmony.

Community recreation reduces alienation, loneliness, and anti-social behaviors.

Leisure provides leadership opportunities that build strong communities.

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation" -- Plato

Eighty-eight percent of parents believe that participating in outdoor activities strengthens family relationships according to an REI national survey of parents with children ages four to 14. Parents ranked camping as the number one "great outdoor family experience" (33%), followed by hiking (14.5%), bicycling (13.3%), and fishing (12.8%). Sports Edge Newswire, May 29, 2002.

Personal Benefits

Leisure opportunities for youth provide positive lifestyle choices and alternatives to self-destructive behavior.

Relaxation, rest and revitalization through leisure is essential to stress management in today's busy and demanding world.

Parks and open spaces bring beauty to an area while giving people satisfaction and improving their quality of life.

Meaningful leisure activity is an essential source of self-esteem and positive self-image.

Exercise can help prevent heart disease by improving insulin action. Insulin resistance syndrome, in which the body fails to use insulin properly, accounts for more than 60% of the cases of heart disease in women and up to 30% in American men.

A study published in the journal Health Affairs found that people who are obese have 30 to 50 percent more chronic medical problems than smokers or drinkers. Health complications linked to obesity such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and certain cancers raise an individual’s healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. Less physical activity, more hours in front of the television, and a car-obsessed culture were all cited by the author as significant causes of America’s growing obesity problem. "Obesity Harder on Health than Smoking," Reuters, March 12, 2002.

Economic Benefits

Parks and recreation services motivate business relocation and expansion in the community.

Recreation and park services are often the catalyst for tourism, a growing sector of our economy.

Meaningful leisure services reduce the high cost of vandalism and criminal activity.

A Brown University study reported that the United States could save $20 billion per year in healthcare costs if every American walked for an hour a day. (As reported in "One Small Step for Mankind," in the Hartford Advocate, 10/12/95. p.23)

Americans spend approximately $634 million per year on golf balls. (USA Today, 12/8/95, p. B1).

The City of Reno, NV opened a $47.5 million National Bowling Stadium early in 1995 and in the first six months generated $238 million as a result of this facility. (USA Today, 12/8/95, p. 5D)

A study by the University of Illinois and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago found that visitors to the 1995 Monet exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago generated a $389 million economic benefit to the city with visitors spending $31 million on hotels; $31 million on shopping; $22 million in restaurants and $18 million for transportation. (Howlett, Debbie, "Money is Chicago's Stroke of Fortune," USA Today, 12/7/95 p. 3A)

Each additional mile walked or run by a sedentary person would save U.S. society an average of 34 cents in medical and other costs. (RAND Corporation, 1993)

The Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, when expanding its late night / weekend activities over the Summer months, found that such programs resulted in a 52% reduction in juvenile crime. Such programs were offered at a cost of 74 cents per person whereas the cost to incarcerate one teen for a year is $38,000. (Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, 1994)

For each dollar we spend on rehabilitation, we save $11 later. (The Phoenix Project, Section II, Page 18, 1995).

In Vail, CO, the assessed value of the property in this vacation resort is $6.5 billion, an amount equal to the gross national product of Bolivia and Nicaragua. (Flotsam and Jetsom, Pelican Press, September 1995)

In Lowell, MA, at the Lowell National Historic Site, for every public dollar invested in its economic renewal, an additional $7 of private investment was generated. (Phoenix Project Handbook, Section II, Page 28, 1995)

A study of tourism in Galveston, TX, in 1991, found that the 180,000 people visiting the Strand Historic District and the 100,000 attendees at the Dickens festival resulted in people spending $18 million in Galveston, creating $2.7 million in salaries. (Phoenix Project Handbook, Section II, page 28, 1995)

Sharp James, the former president of the National League of Cities, said, "We are going to recreate or we are going to incarcerate" and cited that in 1992, 21.8 million youth under the age 21 were arrested and the cost of incarcerating these youth was $2.3 billion annually. (Healing America's Cities, 1994)

According to a study done by the University of Michigan, one in 12 or seven million vehicle-owning U.S. households now owns an RV. Over the past four years, RV ownership has increased 7.8 percent. Recreation Vehicle Industry Association news release, January 18, 2002

For the past two decades, tourism has been the fastest growing component of the Alaska economy. Wildlife viewing and "soft adventure" activities that combine comfort and outdoor recreation, such as fishing trips combined with nights at a comfortable lodge, are quickly becoming some of the most popular reasons to visit Alaska. "Pacific Northwest Research Station: 2001 Scientific Accomplishments," USDA Forest Service, April 2002.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association reported that Americans spent $150 billion on leisure related stays in 2000. That's 59% of the total American hotel/motel industry ($2.54 billion) for the year.

Environmental Benefits

Through the provision of parks, open spaces and protected natural environment, recreation can contribute to the environmental health of our communities.

Investing in the environment through parks and open spaces in residential area leads to an increase in neighborhood property values through accessibility to environmentally friendly green spaces and associated recreational opportunities.

The trend toward natural environment based leisure activities is insurance for a new and improved environmental future.

Over 350 river cleanups took place across the country this may in National River Cleanup 2002. Since its inception in 1992, 429,555 volunteers have participated in 4,738 cleanups covering 95,269 miles of waterways during National River Cleanup Week.

Sixty-four percent of Americans consider it very important to conserve and protect wetlands, and 46 percent say they believe there are too few wetlands in North America according to a study conducted by Responsive Management. However, 63 percent could not name a single non-governmental organization that helps conserve wildlife and natural resources, and 57 percent could not identify a non-governmental group that protects the environment. Responsive Management, Spring 2002