American Hiking Society, in partnership with 259 local, state, and national organizations, has submitted testimony to Congress calling for increased funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget to support trails and public lands across the United States.

Rails to Trails Conservancy, the nation’s largest trails, walking and biking advocacy organization, delivered a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) leadership signed by hundreds of local officials and business leaders from across the country calling on the agency to protect federal investments in active transportation in the face of heightened agency scrutiny of previously awarded grants—including those that fund bicycle infrastructure.

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), the trade association representing the swimming pool, hot tub, and spa industry, announced the upcoming review and revision of ANSI/APSP/ICC-13 2017 American National Standard for Water Conservation Efficiency in Residential and Public Pools, Spas, Portable Spas and Swim Spas, and calls for Subject Matter Expert (SME) participation in the new PHTA-13 Standard Writing Committee (SWC).

Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) dedicated to creating more swimmers through safe swim education, announce partnerships that will help support grants to learn-to-swim providers across the country and fund swim lessons for more than 1,000 children while lowering the drowning rate.

Playgrounds are increasingly incorporating natural elements, with research suggesting that natural settings significantly enhance children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development, reports the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), a nonprofit trade association. 

A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act, a commonsense, cost-saving solution to empower more Americans to invest in their health through physical activity. 

ASLA and its 16,000 members will remain a leader in shaping science-based climate and biodiversity solutions that protect American and global health and well-being.

The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) Board of Directors at its March 11 meeting elected five new board members and a new chair, vice chair, treasurer, and secretary with terms starting July 1. 

ASTM International’s sports equipment, playing surfaces, and facilities committee is developing a proposed standard that will cover the specification, purchase, installation, and maintenance of synthetic turf for playground surfacing.

The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) closed out The HFA Show 2025, its renamed and reimagined global conference and trade show, welcoming nearly 10,000 attendees, 363 exhibitors, 50 sponsors, and 215 speakers from around the world for three days at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.