A community forest in Maine. A pocket park in Colorado. A community park in Massachusetts. These sites are among the recipients of the 2024 L.L.Bean Community Awards, which promote greater access to nature and foster community connections. The awards were announced in partnership with Trust for Public Land.

A joint position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Council on Exercise states that nutrition and physical activity interventions delivered by qualified practitioners can decrease risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve lifestyle behaviors among adults. 

July is Park and Recreation Month! How are you celebrating? The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has been celebrating Park and Recreation Month in July since 1985, promoting building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation.

Rails to Trails Conservancy’s analysis of the latest round of U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE Grants says there is widespread demand for connected walking and biking infrastructure in rural, urban and suburban communities across the country.

Just over half (54%) of children ages 6 to 17 in the U.S. played on a sports team or took lessons in 2022, down from 58% in 2017, according to federal data. That decline has driven the Aspen Institute to issue a call to action for its network of more than 20,000 leaders engaged with Project Play to get at least 63% of youth playing sports by the end of the decade.

The year 2023 saw a record 175.8 million participants in outdoor recreation, representing 57.3% of the U.S. population, according to the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report from the Outdoor Foundation (OF) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released its annual drowning and submersion report. 

The U.S. youth camp industry contributes $70 billion to the national economy, accounting for the total value of the camp industry's production and its ripple effects, which include business-to-business purchases and labor income, according to a study from the University of Michigan and the American Camp Association. 

Trust for Public Land announced that Washington, D.C., was rated the nation’s best big-city park system by the 2024 ParkScore index. The ParkScore index evaluates park systems in the 100 largest U.S. cities. Minneapolis took second place, and St. Paul, Minn., ranked third, while Irvine, Calif., matched its highest-ever ranking to finish in fourth place.

The 55,294 health club and studio locations in the U.S. have a $22.4 billion economic impact on the country’s economy, according to new data analysis prepared by the Health & Fitness Association (formerly IHRSA).