Correspondence Section
Correspondence Section
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Vd[;. 5, No-; 3
NEWS!
A Newsletter of Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation
Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota
2395 University Ave. West, Suite 310, St. Paul MN 55114
(651) 646- 3005,tfyr@ansrmn.org, www.ansrmn.org
Anoka County Adopts Tobacco-Free Policy
for County. Park Areas
On July 12, the Anoka County Board of Commissioners
adopted a tobacco-free policy that covers a large portion of
their extensive county-owned park and recreation system.
Specifically, the policy covers beaches, picnic areas, play-
grounds, recreational and interpretive program areas, the Bun-
ker Beach Water Park, archery center, riding stables, Camp
Salie, and within 50 feet of any public entrance to a park build-
ing.
Anoka County IS the fourth largest county in the state of Min-
nesota by population and
is located in the northern
part of the Twin Cities
metro area. It is the first
county in the metro area
to adopt a tobacco-free
policy. Four cities in
Anoka County also have
tobacco-free park poli-
cies for their city-owned
park areas: Andover,
Anoka, Coon Rapids, and
Ramsey.
"Part of the Parks and Rec-
reation mission is to provide
opportunities for the public to
improve their health. That
mission is made easier by this
policy."
--John .VonDeLinde,
Anoka County Park & Recreation
John VonDeLinde, Director of the Anoka County Parks and
Recreation Department, summarized the purpose behind the
new policy: "Part of the Parks and Recreation mission is to
provide opportunities for the public to improve their health.
That mission is made easier by this policy."
"Creating tobacco-free zones was as much about role model-
ing as it was about secondhand smoke," said Anoka County
Commissioner Dick Lang, Chair of the Parks and Recreation
Board.
Together, the Anoka County Parks and Recreation Depart-
ment and the Commuity Health and Environmental Services
Department are developing a campaign of education and public
awareness to encourage voluntary compliance of the tobacco-
free policy. One of the primary strategies they will use will be
to post tobacco-free signs throughout the Anoka County park
system.
Vecembev 2005
Edina and Golden Valley Golf Courses
Complete First Sm'oke-Free Season
Braemar Golf Course in Edina and Brookview Golf Course in
Golden Valley have completed their first full seasons of smoke-
free golfing. Both communities adopted smoke-free regula-
tions last fall that included their park systemsiiRd city-owned
golf courses.
Edina's Braemar Golf Course features 27 regulation hOles,
two 9-hole executive courses, a pro shop, driving range,
practice putting green, indoor golf dome, banquet and meet-
ing rooms. It has beenrated among thetop 75 pubH~,g6If
courses in the nation by Golf Digestand has hosted .nurne'r-
ous state and national amateur tournan:t~nts.. It has also
been named by Golf for Women maga~i6e as one of its top
100 Women Friendly Courses, and it is t~e only course: in t~e
state to host a PGA Tour event. .
Golden Valley's Brookview Golf Course consistS ofa 18-hole
regulation course, a 9-hole Par 3 course, a driving range and
teaching area, and a Golf Shop and Grill. In November, the
Golden Valley City Council voted to keep the golf Course a
part of the city-wide smoke-free ordinance. Su.pportive coun-
cil members indicated that the city golf course is a city park
and should be smoke free just as all the other city parks, and
that doing so protects the health, safety and welfare of resi-
dents and golf course staff.
A statewide survey conducted by the University of Ninne-
sota in 2004 of Minnesota adults indicated that 740/0 of non-
smoking golfers support tobacco-free park and recreation
policies. So be sure to patronize these healthy golf courses
and set your tee times at Brookview and Braemar as SQpn as
the snow melts!
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation:
Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) is a statewide program of. the
Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, with funding from the Minne-
sota Department of Health. TFYR assists recreationaf groups and
health professionals in promoting tobacco-free lifestyles to youth.
TFYR offers assistance in the development of tobacco prevention strat-
egies and the adoption of tobacco-free policies, as well as numerous
tobacco prevention materials. Contact us to find out how we can
partner with your organization to promote the tobacco-free message!
This newsletter is written and produced by
Brittany McFadden. TFYR Direcf01:
lFYR NEWS!
PAGE 2
Minnesota and the Nation Focus on
Promoting Healthy Lifestyles through Sports and Recreation
Summit for Youth Sports Leaders held
November 19
The Sports AUianceof Minnesota (SAM) held its 2005 Sum-
mit for Youth Sports Leaders on November 19 at the Na-
tional Sports Center in Blaine. The Summit addressed cur-
rent issues in youth sports.and presented ideas to help cre-
ate and maintain a positive youth sports environment
throughout Minnesota - for youth of all ages and ability
levels.
The keynote presentation was "Health and Safety Challenges
in Youth Sports," presented by Minnesota Sports Medicine.
Other breakout sessions covered sportsmanship, risk man- .
agement, and fan behavior. The Summit's key audience in-
cluded adults who provide leadership for youth sports pro-
grams in youth sports associations, park and recreation, and
community education.
A "Youth Sports University," focusing on a variety of health
issues in youth sports and sport-specific topics, is planned
by SAM for April 2006.
SAM is a coalition of Minnesota's major youth sport organi-
zations, whose mission is to provide resources and tools to
create a positive sports environment for young people. SAM
believes youth sports should: 1) promote fun and safety; 2)
teach positive life skills; 3) foster healthy lifestyles and physi-
cal fitness; 4) promote sportsmanship; 5) encourage the
participation of all youth; and 6) educate youth and parents
on keeping athletics in perspective.
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation is a founding member of SAM.
Other founding members include: Minnesota Youth Athletic
Services, Minnesota Youth Soccer, Minnesota Hockey, Min-
nesota State High School League, Minnesota Park & Recre-
ation Association, Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission,
Minnesota Sports Federation and the Hennepin County Hu-
man Services Department.
For more information, visitwww.sportsalliancemn.org.
~~o~~~, ~~L~~."f~
"Tobacco-Free Parks in Minnesota"
presented 'at Three National Conferences
Chicago
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) staff presented two
breakout sessions on tobacco-free parks at the National Con-
ference on Tobacco or Health in Chicago, IL, this past May. -
This conference is the premier national tobacco control con-
ference hi the United States.
The first session, titled, "Tobacco-Free Parks in Minnesota: A
Success Story," described the process MtnneSOta cities have
followed to adopt tobacco-free park policies. Since Minne-
sota is clearly a leader in the nation on tobacco-free pqrks,
TFYRstaff also shared suggestions for how other states ca,n .
follow Minnesota's lead. A second session featured examples
. of how local Minnesota youth groups have advocated for
tobacco-free pa~ks in their own communities.
Denver
To highlight all that Minnesota has done to promote tobacco-
free sports throughout the state, Tobacco-Free Youth Rec-
reation was invited to speak at the Steps to a Healthier U.S.
conference held in Denver, CO, in June. TFYR shared ex-
amples of the partnerships created in Minnesota among pro-
fessional sports teams and health agencies to promote to-
bacco-free sports.
San Antonio
In October, Dr. Corliss Outley, a University of Minnesota Rec-
reation and Sports Studies professor, presented information
about the Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study (TFPRS)
at the National Recreation and Park Association annual con-
ference ih San Antonio, TX. The TFPRS was conducted in
2004 and measured Minnesotans' attitudes towards tobacco-
free park and recreation areas. Special thanks to Steve
Rymer, Director of New Brighton Park and Recreation, for
adding to the presentation with his experiences with a to-
bacco-free policy!"~
"Step Up to Health...
It S~arts in Parks" Summit
January 27, 2006
St. Paul, MN
Join in the discussion as to how parks can
promote healthy lifestyles!
For more information, go to www.nrpa.org
1FYR NEWS!
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!iREATER MINNESOTA {Q}
Aitkin 1 . Callaway 61
Alexandria 63.. . Cloquet 6
Aurora 2 Cohasset 11
Austin 3 Crookston 13
Battle Lake 64 Duluth 14
Baxter 4 Eagle Lake 16
Biwabi.k 5 Elk River 60
Brainerd 7 Eveleth 18
Breckenridge 8 Faribault 19
Buhl 9 Fayal Township 20
...................................
. .
: WANT TO HELP PUT :
: YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE MAP? ·
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact TFYR to get started!
We've got everything you need:
· training for youth groups
· materials
· quick answers to your questions
.. .all for freel
. .
. .
. .
. Plus, we'll connect you with others in ·
. .
· your community who are also working ·
. .
· on th is projectl ·
. .
. .
...................................
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~etro Area
121
-~
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Fergus Falls 10
Grand RapIds 22
Henning 62
Hibbing 23
Hoyt Lakes 2.4
intel'llational Falls
Kent 26
La PraiIie 65
Luvel'lle Z7
Marshall 30
Monticello 31
.PAGE 3
METRO AREA (?.11
Anoka Mal1tornedi
Andover Maple Grove
Al'den Hills Maplewood
Bloomington New BI'lghton
Bl'ooklyn Ccntm' P~ymott!:!!",
Champlin Ramsey
Coon Rapids Richt1cld
Dayton RobbinsdaJe
Eagan Rosevllle
Eden Prairie Saint Paul
Edina Savage
Golden Valley Shoreview
~b.
~
Monis ;32
Mountain Iron 33
New York Mills 67
'. Norwood Young
America 35
25 Owatonna 36
Parkers Prairie 66
Pelican Rapids 12
Prins burg 38
Rochester 'II
St. Cloud 43
Sal'tcll 45
SpicCl' 48.
Virginia 49
WiIlmar 50
Wolvel'ton 59
Zlmrnei'man 51
COUNTIES
1. Rock County
2. Anoka County
Minnesota' Communities with the
Most Comprehensive
Toba~co-Free Park Policies
Andover .
Anoka
Anoka County
Arden Hills
Austin
Battle Lake
Champlin
Coon Rapids
Dayton
Eden Prairie
Edina
Golden Valley
Henning
International Falls
Luverne
Maple Grove
Maplewood
Marshall
Monticello
Morris
New Brighton
Pelican Rapids
Plymouth
Ramsey
RobbinsdaIe
Rock County
Shoreview
1FYR NEWS!
12" x 18" Metal
Tobacco-Free Park Property Signs
Here's how to get them for free:
1. Contact TFYR for our model to-
bacco-free policy, sample. policies,
and tips on policy development and
implementation.
~\..tQ'Fn/1 ~
~~".'.".~
F ) .....
11..-:
Tobacco Use is
CIII1H UIl',' j ~ I)
011 This
Park Property
Thank. You. '. ~.~.
2. Work with your community lead-
ers to develop a tobacco-free policy Tobacco-Free Park Sign
that prohibits tobacco use at all of
your city's park property. To ensure your policy qualifies
for the free signs, consult with TFYR staff.
3. Send a copy of the final, approved policy to TFYR, along
with how many signs you'd like! Due to limited quantities,
a maximum of 100 signs is allowed per community.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
~ ~l~ Hu.k:hP-n~. ~ ~ 90P"erap~..'H1
Contact TFYR at tfyr@ansrmn.org to
receive FREE quantities of these posters!
PAGE 4
Special Timberwolves Ticket Offer
for Tobacco-Free Youth!
The Minnesota Timberwolves
and Tobacco-Free Youth
Recreation have teamed up
to offer a special ticket pack-
age to tobacco-free Minne-
sota youth on select
Timberwolves home games.
Youth will receive a free game
ticket, a Wally Szczerbiak
"Get More Air" poster, and a
tobacco-free pledge card
with the purchase of a sec-
ond game ticket. See the en-
closed ticket order form, or
go to www.ansrmn.orgj
TFYR03Home.htm.
Smoke.filled lungs deflate your game.
. .' ~
_ ~t~~:~:~ ( -
-.....,
Wally Szczerbiak - .
"Get More Air" poster
Tobacco-free youth can choose to attend one of the fol-
lowing games: .
Friday, December 23, 7 pm vs:: Portland Trailblazers
Friday, February 10, 7 pm vs. Utah Jazz
Wednesday, March 1, T pm vs. New Jersey Nets
For questions on this ticket offer, contact Travis Hamre of
the Timberwolves at (612) 673-1689 or
hamre@)timberwolves.com.
For questions on obtaining multiple copies of the "Get More
Air" poster, contact Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation at (651)
646-3005 or tfyr@)ansrmn.org.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _:..~-
ft)fl~(\tO ,'" 'f?:~:r
, 'Y(~Ul'W ~{~(~ltJ~'f~'~~
kVk'lV\:'.orrSl'rnn.org"
Association for Nonsmokers--Minnesota
2395 University Avenue West, Suite 3io
St. Paul, Minnesota 55114 - 1512
Chanhassen Park & Recreation
Todd Hoffman
7700 Market Blvd., P.O Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317
~ S:j 111'0141.;.. 4. tSUi;~.
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
P A 10
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2985
tttfl~.t 1111 .H.I,tUlluIU,uutll.l..fi1tll.luUII11!1I! Ii
32 Planning December 2005
Let's start looking at them as community assets.
By Ann Forsyth and Laura Musacchio
e've all seen them: public
parks and other publicly
accessible green spaces mea-
suring less than five to six
acres-or one city block-
in size. Many are equipped with a standard array
of play structures, lawn, trees, and benches.
Others line trails and waterways. Some are the
signature elements in new subdivisions, and still
others take the form ofleftover spaces, remnant
ecosystems, and undevelopable land.
However, with the exceptions of downtown
parks such as San Francisco's Grant Park and
Manhattan's Bryant Park, small parks are
typically known only to nearby residents.
They are part of the daily pattern of life, not
major icons. .
Whatever form they take, small parks are
common in small towns and large metropolitan
areas alike, providing recreational and open
space for millions of people nationwide. From
improving water and air quality to providing
activities for immigrant seniors and low-income
youth, small parks are a community asset. They
help the ecology, and they help people.
However, . their very size puts them at a
disadvantage. Small parks rarely attract major
investment, particularly when they are' being
redesigned. Faced with the choice oflavishing
planning and design funds on a regional park or a
series of small neighborhood parks, most agencies
spend their money on the showcases-the brge
parks with hundreds of acres. That is something
we would like to change.
People needs
For a recently completed book called Designing
Small Parks, we reviewed more than 600 articles
and books in order to develop guidelines and
design prototypes for small parks. Those stud-
ies, ranging from leisure sciences and ethnic
studies to conservation biology and forestry,
tell an emerging story about the importance
of small parks.
Our research revealed that people generally
Surrounded by houses with yards, this Maple Grove, Minnesota, park could be part of a larger open-space network if the yards were planted with small
creatures in mind. Transition zones of this sort are said to have a "soft edge. "
t
~
prefer landscapes with scattered trees, smooth
ground covers, water, and visual depth, like
the landscapes in many "Olmstedian" parks.
However, many people prefer either a wilder
landscape or a more formal and cultivated
appearance. The preferences vary according to
educational level and ethnicity. Thus, they have
major implications for social inclusion.
Most of the studies we reviewed define
"nature" as vegetated areas with inconspicu-
ous buildings and furnishings. This definition
includes many highly maintained green spaces
such as lawns and gardens. Research in this area
accepts people's perceptions and values and seeks
to understand them better so that park planning
and management can be more responsive.
In contrast, most ecological research focuses
on large pristine habitats. Interest in complex
urban environments where the two intersect is
relatively new.
Nature's needs
In ecological studies, nature-whether in the
city or elsewhere-is defined as a habitat or
ecosystem. While ecological research covers a
wide range of topics, from birds to watersheds,
much of it is relevant to both small parks and
large areas.
Unfortunately, this type of research may not
be very accessible to non-scientists. As natural
scientists, ecologists use scientific phrases and ~
g
concepts, and they tend to shy away from I
specifics such as habitat dimensions-the sort !~_
of prescriptive information that planners and =-
designers need when writing park and open g"
space ordinances. f
Finally, while ecological research assumes that ~
people are an important part of the environment,
it also assumes that urbanization inevitably
degrades environmental quality. The studies,
therefore, stress that people must be educated
to take more care of natural systems.
Now a word about what we don't know. In
social research on parks, we are limited by the
. small number of studies. Most of the research
34 Planning December 2005
Small parks can support butterflies, birds,
and other small wildlife. W0men stop
at a park in New J1Jrk City as a squirrel
scampers by. Opposite: Highly manicured
parks with hard edges aren't friendly to
wildlife, but many people prefer them.
on ethnic differences in park use has been done
in large parks in just a few locations, primarily
in Illinois and California. On the ecological
side, deserts are underrepresented in ecological
research, which tends to focus on temperate
climates.
However, we do know that ecologically, large
parks are almost always better than small or linear
ones. That's because, unless they are part of a
highly connected open space system, small parks
will probably never provide suitable habitat for
large mammals. In fact, however, small parks can
harbor a surprising diversity of remnant habitats
andwildlife, particularly in large metropolitan
areas such as New York City, San Diego~ Seattle,
Austin, and the Twin Cities.
Landscape ecologist Richard Forman of
Harvard University points out some other
ecological benefits that small parks can offer:
They help with water infiltration and runoff,
and support small wildlife such as birds, frogs,
and butterflies. Their vegetation helps to reduce
air pollution and to moderate air temperature
by offering shade.
Small parks have other benefits for planners,
parks professionals, designers, environmental
organizations, and citizen groups seeking to
achieve both ecological and social goals. They
hope to use the parks to connect people and
natural systems, not to limit their use to recre-
ation and picnicking. At the same time, they
hope that careful management that responds
to ecological and social processes can save
. maintenance costs.
Good design to the rescue
While most people value parks, there is no
consensus on their appearance, the activities
that take place in them, or the ideal balance
between development and nature. Tensions
often arise over which activities are appropri-
ate-field sports and extended family gatherings,
for example, are space-intensive activities that
may not be compatible with more passive park
use. Good design can mitigate some of these
tensions, as can programming that carefully
schedules conflicting uses.
Good design can also provide different levels
of naturalness, which is important because
public perceptions about nature do not neces-
sarily coincide with scientific ideas about good
ecological practice. According to many studies,
the public values a manicured appearance that
may be at odds with the messiness of a success-
ful habitat.
Concerns about crime compound the prob-
lem. Ecologists argue for the value of shrubbery;
people using the parks worry that vegetation
may conceal criminals.
Joan Nassauer, professor oflandscape archi-
tecture at the University of Michigan, says that
some of these tensions can be relieved by provid-
ing "cues to care." These include mowing edges
beside prairie plantings and clearing underbrush
away from paths and actively used park areas,
unless it is a rare habitat or environmentally
sensitive ecosystem.
.
connecting them to other open spaces via gre-
enways, paths, and tree-lined streets.
Some "generalist species" animals with few
specific habitat needs (cardinals, blue jays,
mockingbirds, and squirrels), may do quite well
in the edge habitat conditions that are found in
most small parks. Small parks may also be useful
as stopover locations for migratory birds.
For people, the number and location of small
parks is a factor in providing an everyday connec-
tion to nature and to more obvious recreational
benefits, even if these areas lack the facilities of
larger parks. By connecting parks to other.green
spaces it is possible to reduce, but not eliminate,
some of the conflicts that occur over space use.
Context: Edges are important. Park designers
need to pay attention to whether a park ends
abruptly or is well connected to vegetation be-
yond the park boundaries. Ecologists call these
hard and soft edges.
Compare a park that is surrounded by streets
and lawns with one that is surrounded by private
yards with native trees, shrubs, and grasses-a
hard edge versus a soft edge. The latter provides
better habitat for birds and small animals, but
it may also provoke tensions among neighbors
who worry about safety issues or who see the
Connecting systems
Several concepts tie together ecological concerns
and social issues.
Space: Small parks have limited space for both
human activities and ecological functions. Their
contribution can be dramatically improved by
park as part of their private space. Ih other
words, a seamless transition between park and
yard may be good for animals but challenging
for humans.
People otten prefer hard edges. A park lined
by roads probably has many access points, and
the line between public and private space is
clearly defined.
Location: Some small parks are thoughtfully
located-highly accessible to residents, con-
nected to a larger open-space system, and planted
with both the local climate and personal safety
in mind. However, many small parks result from
a development process that leaves open spaces
only in areas that are unsuitable for building, in
locations that are inaccessible to people, and in
isolated spots that are disconnected from wider
open space networks.
Sometimes, too, the setting or design. of a
park emphasizes one set of values over another.
At one extreme are parks that offer recreational
opportunities and cultural events but very little
nature. At the other ate slivers of remnant or
lettoverwooded areas or grasslands that protect
habitat or water quality but lack amenities for
park users.
Maintenance: Some parks may not even look
like parks because they are not maintained.
These forgotten spaces otten become overgrown
jungles dominated by invasive plants, such as
buckthorn. Some smaller parks in America's
major cities are like this-victims of reduced
maintenance budgets.
With healthier budgets and preventative
management strategies, small parks can pro-
vide pleasant views, a sense of solitude, and
improved wildlife habitat-valuable com-
modities in a stressful urban environment. Even
small modifications, such as adding benches or
making connections to other natural areas, can
help more natural-looking parks to function
better for all.
'(rade-offi: Small parks require trade-offs. A
park designed for children and young adults,
for example, may need to be redesigned to al-
locate more space to seniors as the population
ages. And immigrant groups may use parks for
soccer, not basketball.
In a small park, even sensitive design . for
multiple users cannot avoid all conflicts between
habitat and water quality or between ball fields
and picnic areas. While itis certainly a good thing
to try to maximize social and ecological benefits,
this otten requires making hard choices.
American Planning Association 35
On the horizon
Whether communities adopt more responsive
park design depends on how they perceive costs
and benefits. Because of their size and scattered
locations, small parks may be more expensive to
maintain per acre than larger parks are.
Some costs can be reduced by incorporat-
ing fewer manicured plantings. Savings always
depend on the initial condition of the site and
how much restoration is needed, whether the
municipality already owns expensive mainte-
nance equipment such as large mowers, and
whether maintenance crews are willing to adopt
new planting styles.
On the up side, the popularity of small
parks may make their per capita maintenance
costs lower than those oflarger, less intensively
used parks.
In the future, small parks can play a vital
role. in making cities more sustainable. They
can provide benefits for air and water quality,
and for habitat, while enhancing livability. As
cities strive to increase densities to save energy
and to reduce the consumption ofland on the
urban edge, small parks will become increasingly
important parts of the green infrastructure of
the city and the metropolitan region.
Ann Forsyth is the Dayton Hudson Chair of Urban
Design and director of the Metropolitan Design Cen-
ter at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Laura
Musacchio is an assistant professor in the university's
Department of Landscape Architecture and a researcher
with the Metropolitan Design Center and Central
Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Project. This
article is adapted from Designing SmallParks: AManual
AddressingSocialandEcological Concerns (written with
Frank Fitzgerald and published this year by John Wiley
& Sons).