Littleton, N.H., and Tacoma, Wash., are two examples of how local agencies can utilize federal funds for park and recreation projects, writes Kyle Simpson of the National Recreation and Park Association. Littleton benefits from a Land and Water Conversation Fund grant and Department of Agriculture funding, while Tacoma used a federal tax-credit program to help fund a community center.

A draft report in Greensboro, N.C., envisions a 20-year plan for parks and recreation in the city. In addition to ideas submitted by residents and volunteers, the report notes the potential of magnet parks and offers recommendations for specific sites.

The Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff, Neb., plans to remodel its chimpanzee exhibit ahead of the arrival of chimps through financing from an anonymous donation. The upgrade will include additional viewing areas and new lighting.

Government workers in Wilmette, Ill., recently took part in disability-awareness training. "[P]eople are often so uncomfortable asking people with disabilities about their disabilities, and this training dispelled that thought process," said Wilmette Park District HR manager Liz Cox.

An all-inclusive playground is coming to Smyrna, Tenn., that will be designed to look like a plane on a runway. The playground is expected to cost $600,000.

An 87-acre tract of land on Bailey Mountain in North Carolina has been purchased by the town of Mars Hill and will be added to existing property to create a park, says Darhyl Boone, the town manager. Most of the $675,000 price for the land was covered by grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

The city of Birmingham, Ala., can legally leave up screening around a Confederate monument in Linn Park, ruled outgoing Judge Michael Graffeo, who declared a state law cited in the case unconstitutional. "A city has a right to speak for itself, to say what it wishes, and to select the views that it wants to express," Graffeo noted.

Great teams understand the organizational vision and have created their own identity and values to complement the organization's, writes Focus One CEO Douglas Gerber in this book excerpt. "The sense of being part of something much bigger drives team members the extra mile," he writes.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund supports critical projects that improve the physical and mental well-being of people across the country. Unfortunately, LWCF expired on Sept. 30, and we need your help in asking Congress to reauthorize this vital legislation. You can take action and step up for local outdoor recreation by contacting your members of Congress. It only takes a couple minutes, but the impact that your message will make could save the future of outdoor recreation. Take action.