Natural+Area+Recreation


 * Connecting People with Nature Indicators**
 * //Parks & Nature Recreation//** :: Natural Area Recreation :: Proximity to Parks
 * //Environmental Education//** :: Environmental Education Centers :: Community Colleges :: State Curriculum
 * //Environmental Choices//** :: Green Buildings :: Transportation Choices :: Waste and Recycling Practices

=**Natural Area Recreation**=


 * What is this?**

We examined the total acreage of parks in the Triangle and the recreational opportunities provided by these parks. We surveyed parks throughout the Triangle, gathered information about the name, location, type (e.g., state, county, municipal, etc.), size, and recreational opportunities (see //Technical Notes// for details). We identified specifically //nature-oriented// and //outdoor recreation parks//. //Nature-oriented parks// have elements that offer the public an opportunity to engage with nature. To be defined as nature oriented, a park must contain a hiking trail or walking path, environmental education programs, camping, or provide access to a body of water and activities such as boating, canoeing, and kayaking. //Outdoor recreation parks// were designated as parks that have components which serve primarily as outdoor recreation facilities. To be defined as an outdoor recreation park, the park must contain only sports recreation facilities, play areas and picnic areas. All sports parks were left out of this survey; if the park //only// contains sports fields then it was not considered either a //nature-oriented// //park// or an //outdoor recreation park.// With these definitions of //nature-oriented parks// and //outdoor recreation parks//, a survey of parks throughout the Triangle was completed.


 * Why is this important?**

Parks are one aspect of a community that demonstrates its ability to connect people with nature. Parks are linked to the well-being of the population, including improvements in physical and psychological health, environmental benefits, and economic benefits (see //Benefits of Parks//). Nature-oriented and outdoor recreation parks provide opportunities for people -- particularly people living in highly urbanized areas -- to connect with nature.


 * **// Benefits of Parks //**


 * Physical and Psychological Benefits **
 * When people have access to parks they exercise more, which increases health and reduces risk to disease.
 * Symptoms of depression and anxiety decrease with access to parks and physical activity.


 * Environmental Benefits **
 * The trees in parks reduce air and water pollution.
 * In cities, parks allow temperatures to stay cooler, and are an effective and inexpensive way to manage runoff.


 * Economic Benefits **
 * Parks increase the value of neighboring residential and commercial property and are considered in the quality of life factor for corporations choosing to relocate to the region.
 * Parks also provide tourism draws, aiding local businesses.

// Source: The Office of Environmental Education of North Carolina (2010) // ||


 * What does this measure show?**

//Parks in the Triangle//

The Triangle area is home to 298 nature-oriented and outdoor recreation parks covering 90,150 acres. In other words, 4% of the Triangle is made up of parks (Figure 1, Table 1).


 * Figure 1:** Nature-oriented and outdoor recreation parks, by county.


 * Table 1:** Area (acres) of nature-oriented parks and outdoor recreation parks, total acres per county and total acres in the Triangle.

Chatham County has the largest area of nature-oriented and outdoor recreation parks, while Lee County has the least. Although Chatham County only has 19 such parks (well below Wake County’s 158 parks), it contains most 46,768 acres of Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. Each county has a larger area of nature-oriented than outdoor recreation parks, because outdoor recreational parks, though greater in numbers, are usually much smaller in acreage.

The area of parks per 1,000 people varies from county to county, averaging 58 acres per 1,000 people for the Triangle (Figure 2). Again, Chatham County has a much higher acreage per 1,000 people because it contains Jordan Lake State Park and has a comparatively low populatio. Further analysis at the local level is important to ensure that nature recreation needs are met for the entire population (see //Proximity to Parks//).


 * Figure 2:** This graph shows the acreage of nature-oriented and outdoor recreation parks as compared to 1,000 people per county.

//Recreation in the Triangle//

Connecting people with nature requires the allocation of natural space open to the public (parks) as well as recreational activities in which people can participate. A survey of the recreation activities at each park was performed which included miles of hiking/walking trails, biking trails and greenways, as well as various other activities such as:
 * Play Areas
 * Sports Recreation Facilities (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, Frisbee golf, mountain biking)
 * Environmental Education Programs
 * Nature Center/Wildlife Habitat Viewing Areas/Gardens
 * Boating/Canoeing/Kayaking Access
 * Fishing
 * Camping

There are several areas throughout the Triangle to participate in recreational activities within parks which provide an opportunity for people to connect with nature (Table 2). It was found that simple ways to connect people with nature, such as picnic areas or play grounds in a park, are much more prevalent throughout the region than an active way, such as camping, which is difficult to find in the Triangle. This chart demonstrates that though there are several parks that provide recreational activities throughout the Triangle to participate in, it is apparent that recreational activities that are simple are much more numerous than active recreational activities.

**Table 2:** Outdoor recreational activities, by county.

Wake County has more biking and greenway trails than any other county in the Triangle (Figure 3). Greenways are only found in Wake, Orange and Durham counties, though there are several miles of proposed greenways for all other counties.

**Figure 3:** Miles of hiking trails, biking trails and greenways, by county.

Recreational activities provided by parks and recreation departments, whether run by the state, county or municipality contribute to each of the benefits noted earlier. Trails provide safe and easy access to areas for hiking and biking, which promote physical and psychological health for those who participate. The environmental benefits from greenways are numerous as they are designed to connect different parks and attractions, providing an alternative to driving from location to location. Economic benefits to citizens and business are apparent as well; recreational activities provided by municipal, county and state park systems are inexpensive, and park systems and the recreational activities within them create employment opportunities for thousands of Triangle citizens.

** The following websites have information about location, hours and contact numbers for parks triangle wide that have hiking trails, biking trails, greenways, and the various other recreational activities noted:
 * ** // Where can I find information about nature-oriented recreational activities offered by parks in the Triangle? //
 * Chatham County** []
 * Durham County** []
 * Johnston County** []
 * Lee County** []
 * Orange County** []
 * Wake County** [] ||


 * **// Find hiking, biking, fishing and paddling opportunities in your region! //**

Map of hiking and biking opportunities in the Cape Fear river basin: [|Hiking and Biking_CapeFear.docx] Map of hiking and biking opportunities in the Neuse River basin: [|Hiking and Biking_Neuse.docx] Map of bike trails in Carrboro-Chapel Hill: [|Bikemap-2003.pdf] Map of trails in Chatham County (note: some are on-street bike trails): [|chatham county TRAILS (1).pdf] Trails in general: []

Paddling locations in the area can be found at: [|Paddling_CapeFear.docx] [|Paddling_Neuse.docx] Map of boat access points in the Triangle: [|BoatAccess.jpg] Fishing locations in the area: [|Fishing Locations.docx]

Sources: [] [], [] [] ||


 * Limitations and Further Research**

There were several limitations to completing this data collection, primarily lack of information and documentation available for each county. No complete survey of all parks in the Triangle region has been completed. Several different resources were used to compile the list utilized for this data calculation, so it is almost certain that this is an incomplete list. As well, when park was identified, it was difficult at times to find documentation on acreage of the park and recreational activities the park provided. When attempting to compile miles of hiking, biking and greenway trails, the same issue was encountered; identifying hiking, biking and greenway trails were difficult to identify and documentation on length was difficult to retrieve. Finally, when compiling information such as this on a county by county basis it was difficult to find consistent information because standards differ county by county and sources varied county by county, especially when considering the term “greenway”. Further research is needed to refine the findings recorded here and to fill in the gaps.

This assessment of state of the Triangle’s ability to connect people with nature demonstrates that there is ample park acreage per person with recreational activities provided within this acreage that are numerous. Yet due to the physical/psychological, environmental and economic benefits that parks provide, the Triangle must re-examine future county and municipal plans and re-prioritize to ensure that throughout parks triangle wide maintenance and development continues.


 * Author** Leah McManus, NC State University :: 2010 May 1
 * Reviewers** Wally Thurman, NC State University :: Emily Ander, City of Raleigh


 * Technical Notes**

A survey of all parks in the Triangle was completed. Municipal, County and State parks were all recorded including specific details such as acreage amount, and recreational activities provided by each park. From this initial survey, a park was deemed either a "nature oriented park" or an “outdoor recreation park". Nature oriented parks are defined as parks that contain a hiking trail or walking path, environmental education programs, camping, and/or provide access to a body of water and activities such as boating, canoeing, and kayaking. Outdoor recreation parks are defined as parks that contained only sports recreation facilities, play areas and picnic areas. From this, total acreage of nature oriented parks and outdoor recreation parks was calculated and activities provided by these parks were totaled as well to determine how many acres of each type of park each county has, total acreage of all parks each county has and finally total amount of recreational activities provided by parks each county had. Resources to create this data set were found on the internet through municipal, county and state websites and from contacting municipal parks and recreation department personnel (See Natural Area Recreation Resources for list of Acknowledgments). From the resources used to created this parks, acreage and rec activities data set, in addition to a few others (see 'references lists' for full list and the metadata tab on the 'Hiking, Greenways, Biking Miles spreadsheet), hiking trails, biking trails and greenways were identified within these municipal, county and state parks, as well as outside of these parks. Once identified, mileage was noted. Total mileage of hiking trails, biking trails and greenways within each county in the Triangle was calculated from this data set created.

For a full list of resources and calculations see the below reference lists and spreadsheets.

[|List of Parks, Acreage, Activities.xlsx] [|Acres of Park per 1000 People.xlsx] [|Hiking, Greenways, Biking Miles.xlsx]
 * Here are the spreadsheets containing the data**

[|Natural Area Recreation Resources.docx] [|Natural Area Recreation Resources.pdf]
 * Reference Lists:**


 * Connecting People with Nature Indicators**
 * //Parks & Nature Recreation//** :: Natural Area Recreation :: Proximity to Parks
 * //Environmental Education//** :: Environmental Education Centers :: Community Colleges :: State Curriculum
 * //Environmental Choices//** :: Green Buildings :: Transportation Choices :: Waste and Recycling Practices