• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Event Calendar
    • Submit Event
  • About Us
    • Our Contributors
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • On Screen Dayton
    • On Screen Dayton Reviews
    • Road Trippin’
      • Cincinnati
      • Columbus
      • Indianapolis
    • Spectator Sports
    • Street-Level Art
    • Visual Arts
  • Dayton Dining
    • DMM’s Brunch Guide
    • Restaurants with Private Dining Rooms
    • Dayton Food Trucks
    • Quest
    • Ten Questions
  • Dayton Music
    • Music Calendar
  • On Stage Dayton
    • On Stage Dayton Reviews
  • Active Living
    • Canoeing/Kayaking
    • Cycling
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Runners
  • How to Support Dayton Businesses, Nonprofits During COVID-19

Dayton Most Metro

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Parks Employ More People Than Walmart!!

February 10, 2010 By Dayton Most Metro 1 Comment

I recently ran across this article on TheDailyGreen.com and wanted to share it with the DaytonMostMetro readers. Following the elections last fall I found my projections were terribly inaccurate as they included a gloomy future for regional school and park levies.  Well, I was totally wrong.  Nearly all the parks and local school levies passed, in both conservative and liberal areas.  I have my own opinion as to how and why this happened but below is an article that may make us all feel like we really are making more of an impact then just preserving open space and natural areas (which is still great).
To quote the last line of the article, “It’s imperative we let our legislators know they can’t let the landscapes that enrich our lives – and, as it turns out, contribute so much to the bottom line – be the primary victims of future reductions. For in the end, it’s us who wind up being the true victims.”
The following article, written by Ned Sullivan, can be found on www.thedailygreen.com.
Parks jobs generate real money for the economy, but leaders rarely invest in this surprising source of employment during tough economic times.

Two New York Times articles published earlier this month illustrate the highs and lows of land protection right now. One, “Preservation Groups Find Bargains in Housing Bust,” described how plummeting real estate prices have provided once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for land-conservation organizations to protect irreplaceable natural treasures once destined for sprawling development. From Idaho to Florida and Virginia to Oregon, groups have preserved fields and forests, marshland and ocean waterfronts that as little as a year ago were slated for massive housing projects. Many of these scenic wonders now will be turned into parks.

That’s the high. The low, “New Year but No Relief for Strapped States,” noted the challenges many state governments face to rein in skyrocketing deficits. Actually, the earlier article hinted at this dilemma’s environmental implications: dedicated funds for protecting land and creating new parks already have been a casualty of fiscal belt-tightening in statehouses from Olympia to Albany – just when they could do the most good. With red ink continuing to rise, even more drastic cuts are likely. There’s a trickle-down effect, too. With less state support, county and municipal governments are being forced to slash their own budgets, so land preservation and parks often take another hit on the local level.

Why are these initiatives such easy deficit-reduction targets? Because there’s a presumption they are luxuries. Sure, parks make us feel good and wildflower-filled meadows are pretty to look at, but they don’t pay the bills. That’s the all-too-common perception among legislators and even the public at large. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

For proof, take a look at Conservation: An Investment That Pays, a study released last year by The Trust for Public Land. It’s one of the most comprehensive looks yet at the myriad benefits land protection offers our cash-strapped economies.

The report compiles a wealth of statistics offering incontrovertible evidence that:

  • Parks increase surrounding property values and hence local revenues, while protected open space such as farms keep the costs of municipal services low. (Remember, cows don’t go to school);
  • New parks spur economic development and boost nearby businesses, often providing the catalyst for downtown revitalization. This point was driven home forcefully in Poughkeepsie (headquarters of Scenic Hudson, the organization I head) with the October opening of Walkway Over the Hudson, which transformed a rusting railroad brwalkway-over-hudson-3-lgidge into a dramatic park. In its first two months of operation, it attracted 400,000 visitors, while local restaurants have enjoyed a spike in business;
  • Those of us who live near parks are more likely to exercise, which helps us ward off medical conditions responsible for out-of-control health care costs;
  • Preserved forests and fields naturally purify our air and water while conserved floodplains prevent property loss from natural disaster – all reducing the need for costly manmade protections;
  • By enhancing our quality of life, parks and open space attract new jobs and residents. (A healthy local environment is among business executives’ top concerns when looking for a place to relocate or set up shop.)

Photo: Walkway Over the Hudson State Park (pre renovation), by Fred Schaeffer

Parks aren’t freeloaders. Far from it, they provide communities with direct economic benefits. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has calculated that Americans who engage in hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching spend nearly $125 billion annually, supporting an industry responsible for 1.6 million jobs – more people than are employed by Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer. The National Parks Conservation Association reports that for each $1 invested in our national parks, there’s a $4 return in local spending. In New York, figures are comparable for state parks; I bet the same holds for other states.

In many states, including New York, funds for land protection already have taken disproportionate cuts that fail to take into account these far-reaching economic and environmental benefits. It’s imperative we let our legislators know they can’t let the landscapes that enrich our lives – and, as it turns out, contribute so much to the bottom line – be the primary victims of future reductions. For in the end, it’s us who wind up being the true victims.

Read more here…

Filed Under: Active Living Tagged With: land protection, parks, walmart

Reader Interactions


Comments

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Featured Events

  • Fri
    16
  • Sat
    17
  • Sun
    18
  • Mon
    19
  • Tue
    20
  • Wed
    21
  • Thu
    22

Xenia Food Truck Rallies

4:00 pm | Xenia Station

Taste of the Jewish Cultural Festival – Purim Edition

4:00 pm | Temple Israel

Friday Night Cruise-In

4:00 pm |

Destihl Tap Takeover

5:00 pm | Bunkers Bar & Grill

Reception for Art by Greg Alan Jankowski

7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Until Rust & Friends

8:00 pm | Steve & Tammy’s Tavern formerly Oinkadoodlemoo & Brew

Route 88

9:00 pm | Wings Sports Bar and Grille- Dixie

Tantric with Special Guests The Weekend Effect

8:00 am | Wings Sports Bar and Grille- Dixie

2nd Street Market – Outdoor Market Only

9:00 am | 2nd Street Market

Tree Seedling Giveaway

9:00 am | 2nd Street Market

Shred Day

10:00 am | Routsong Funeral Home, Inc.

Introducing…Mike Ousley and Egg Tempera

10:00 am | The 48 High Street Gallery

Spring Foraging Workshop

10:00 am | Agraria: Arthur Morgan Institute’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture

Market @ Mother’s

12:00 pm | Mother Stewart’s Brewing Co

ArBeer Day

2:00 pm | Devil Wind Brewing

Main Street Lebanon Chocolate Walk

4:00 pm | Downtown Lebanon

Spring Fling Community Dinner & Drive-In Movie

6:30 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

See How They Run

7:30 pm | Sorg Opera House

Paris Flea Market

6:00 am | Dixie Twin Drive-In

3rd Sundays

11:00 am | Front Street Complex

Free Admission for Local Nurses

12:00 pm | The Dayton Art Institute

Brunch w/Luv Locz

1:00 pm | Cafe 1610

See How They Run

3:00 pm | Sorg Opera House

The Bandit of the Year

4:00 pm | Yellow Cab Tavern

April Open Mic

7:30 pm | Yellow Cab Tavern

25% Off Pizza Monday

11:30 am | Oregon Express

CET/ThinkTV Auction Closes Today

4:30 pm | online event

HVO Pierogi & Kolachi Workshops

6:30 pm | Hidden Valley Orchards

LGBT AA group

7:00 pm | Greater Dayton LGBT Center

$6 Movie Day

| The Neon

Giovanni’s Carry Out Meal

4:00 pm | Giovanni’s

Spaghetti Dinner

5:00 pm | Trolley Stop

Luv Locz debut album release “Honey & Sage” 4/20 Party

6:30 pm | The Brightside Event & Music Venue

Live Trivia- In Person or Virtually

7:00 pm | Star City Brewing Company

Open Mic

7:00 pm | Applebee’s – Sugarcreek

Music Bingo

7:00 pm | Wings Sports Bar & Grille Beavercreek

Story Slam Dayton

7:00 pm | Wiley’s Comedy Club

Wright State University Friends of the Libraries Virtual Lunch-In

12:00 pm | Virtual Event

ALL YOU CAN EAT!

5:00 pm | Bullwinkle’s Top Hat Bistro

Trivia w/ DagaTrivia

6:00 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

Trivia Night

6:30 pm | Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse

Virtual Cooking Class: Northern Italian Date Night

5:00 pm | Virtual Event

Eudora Run Club

5:30 pm | Eudora Brewing Company

Trivia With a Twist

7:00 pm | Sojourners Brewstillery

Bingo

8:00 pm | Trolley Stop

More Events…

DMM E-Newsletter


Give us your email address and we'll send you our DMM E-Newsletters
Email:  
For Email Marketing you can trust
Back to Top

Copyright © 2021 Dayton Most Metro · Terms & Conditions · Log in