The recently completed Legislative Forum was once again a success as nearly 200 park and recreation advocates came to Washington, D.C., to advance NRPA’s legislative priorities and discuss the importance of parks and recreation with their congressional representatives.

NRPA members also took their message to key federal agency officials as a select group of urban directors joined NRPA leadership in meetings with the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. These meetings served to further the dialogue on the role of parks and recreation in addressing current national interests as well as how local park and recreation agencies can better position themselves to utilize and leverage existing federal resources.

On the final day of this year’s forum, representatives from the National Park Service held a session discussing their youth-engagement initiatives and their vision for the future of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Following the session, about two dozen NRPA members had the opportunity to experience a VIP guided tour of select monuments on the National Mall.

The seeds planted by parks advocates on Capitol Hill are already beginning to bear fruit as several Congressional offices have expressed serious interest on the top issues on NRPA’s legislative platform. Members on both sides of the aisle have been identified as potential sponsors of authorizing legislation that would permanently allocate 40 percent of total LWCF funds to the State Assistance program. Offices in both the House and Senate have emerged as likely original co-sponsors for the Community Parks Revitalization Act, which will soon be reintroduced in both chambers of Congress. NRPA members were also able to gather information on other public lands and outdoor recreation bills that could serve as potential vehicles for NRPA’s issues.

A special thank you goes out to all who were able to attend this year’s Legislative Forum and make a difference in the future of parks and recreation. The Legislative Forum was made possible in part due to PlayCore’s generous Titanium-level sponsorship of NRPA in 2013.