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National organization repurposes summer camps, combating ‘summer slide' in reading and math

Catenya McHenry

December 14, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

As summer programs across the country shut down to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School summer program in Austin tried was forced to quickly pivot to virtual learning. They had to make large technological purchases, hire a help desk staff, reached out to volunteers, and had to figure out how to get students to log on.

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In Rwanda, Learning Whether a ‘Smart Park' Can Help Both Wildlife and Tourism

Amy Yee

November 24, 2020 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, once a conservation failure, has been revitalized with fences, patrols, and new technology to become a successful wildlife park. The government partnered with conservation group African Parks to manage the national park, which has led to an increase tourists, patrols, and even lions and black rhinos. Akagera also became the world first “Smart Park” after it installed a telecommunications network called LoRaWAN to securely track, monitor, and communicate between rangers, vehicles, equipment, and animals.

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As Wilderness Areas Attract More People, Volunteer Rangers Hit The Trail

Amanda Peacher

September 28, 2020 |

Boise State Public Radio (KBSX) |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Idaho

About 40 volunteer wilderness stewards of the Idaho Conservation League are helping to educate hikers about how to be good outdoor trekkers like disposing of waste properly and staying on the trail. While these volunteers can’t legally enforce the rules, last year, they have destroyed 109 illegal campfire rings and got rid of 100 pounds of litter. These volunteers programs could be effective as other government initiative budgets are cut and more and more people are exploring nature.

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How Did These Students Get The City To Change The Name Of Douglass Park? They Built Collective Power And Didn't Back Down

Pascal Sabino

September 22, 2020 |

Block Club Chicago |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago students organized and, for the first time, convinced the city to rename a park in honor of Frederick and Anna Murray Douglass. The former Douglas Park was named after a Civil War era Illinois senator who advocated to expand slavery, and whose wife owned slaves. Not daunted by the city’s bureaucracy, the students canvassed in their community and gathered over 10,000 signatures for a petition to change the park’s name. The campaign, which began in 2017, was much harder and longer than the students anticipated, but by forming a coalition and continuing to speak out they persevered.

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Can Pools Help to Deter Crime?

Ginia Bellafante

September 04, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

One response to the violent unrest of the late 1960s was New York's installation of a network of swimming pools. The idea: give people a refreshing escape, and a way to cool – literally – the emotions that can lead to violence. No solid evidence proves a causal effect, but serious crime in the city dropped significantly and immediately. In 2020, after the pandemic closed all city pools until late July and then only some reopened, the city experienced a surge in gun violence. Says one sociologist: "There will be problems" when people are cooped up without recreation options.

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Lawmakers want to revive FDR's Depression-era "tree army" to help boost rural economies

Jason Nark

August 31, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a New Deal program to build outdoor recreation facilities, creating thousands of jobs during the Great Depression and building iconic state parks. Delaware programs, like the Senior Corps that enlists the help of people over 55, encourage civic engagement modeled after the CCC. Pennsylvania's Outdoor Corps hires young people to restore public lands over the summer. Congress introduced bills to revive CCC-like initiatives that could support rural economies hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, but environmental funding is not a priority of the current administration.

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Want to reopen schools? Summer camps show how complicated it'll be.

Michael Greshko

August 27, 2020 |

National Geographic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

80 percent of overnight camps across the country have shuttered down due to pandemic. Camps that reopened had to change how they operate, by using a range of practices from apps to field guides, some have been able to safely reopen.

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How to Design a Street for Hands-Off Play

Elissaveta M. Brandon

August 25, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Harlem, New York

PLAY NYC, a nonprofit in New York, is reviving a historic pop-up playground concept, which started over two decades ago, in order to increase children's access to playgrounds and physical activity. The concept is simple—take over a street, build, and design an interactive playground, and follow social distancing guidelines, but every street and community comes with its own set of challenges. Most of the play streets offer "no -touch obstacle course, exercise activities, and learning experiences" across low-income neighborhoods in New York.

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How Ashland SWCD uses art to teach stormwater management

Katie Ellington

August 21, 2020 |

Richland Source |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ashland, Ohio

As a way to raise funds and awareness for stormwater education, some cities are turning rain barrels into an art exhibit. Rain barrels catch water as it runs off rooftops, which can be used later for watering plants. It also reduces the amount of water that picks up pollutants and is carried into waterways. The Ashland Soil and Water Conservancy District in Ohio featured 10 rain barrels painted by local artists, allowing residents to vote and bid on their favorite design. Their efforts were inspired by a similar event in Indiana where they’ve auctioned 100 barrels for residents to use at home.

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How the World's Largest Garbage Dump Evolved Into a Green Oasis

Robert Sullivan Jade Doskow

August 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Staten Island, New York

The former Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island is turning into a public park that will accept visitors in 2021. By capping the trash site with plastic, covering it with soil, and planting native grasses, city officials are restoring the area’s former tidal wetlands and scrublands; nearly 314 plant and animal species have already been sighted. While the successful closing of the dump nearly 20 years ago means that the trash is being sent to other neighborhoods in the United States where people dealing with economic hardship live, the project could be a model for sustainability and urban renewal.

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