Letter From the President:
In this summer's edition of "From the Fork," I invite you to share in our excitement about the developments being made in Floyds Fork. We are proud to announce that Wallace Roberts and Todd, our world-class design firm, has received an honorary award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for its Floyds Fork Greenway Master Plan, confirming our vision that great things lie ahead in the future of the park. Donors and supporters have visited The Fork four times this spring on canoe trips led by David Wicks, an environmental educator, and myself. I hope you read about these excursions in Bob Hill's contribution this issue. I think you will see that The Fork's early visitors share as much excitement about the future park as we do here at 21st Century Parks.
In our plans for Floyds Fork, we want to highlight the importance of outdoor recreation. In addition to ball fields, picnic pavilions and recreational paths, we hope to introduce the theme of adventure recreation. I'm happy to introduce our Parents and Educators Corner. Research has shown that providing a chance for children to spend unstructured time outdoors is one of the most significant benefits of accessible urban parklands. In this new section of our newsletter, we will provide resources for parents and educators related to opportunities for reconnecting children with nature.
Speaking of additions to our newsletter, this summer edition is the debut of our new Eye on the Environment section. In this section, we hope to underscore the environmental benefits of each proposed ecosystem of The Fork. Extensive plans are being made to improve air quality, water quality and habitat areas in the park. Each proposed ecosystem contributes to these goals in different ways. In this edition we provide an overview of system-wide ecosystem benefits. In the future, we will focus on specific ecosystems and their particular related environmental benefits.
As always, I invite you to read our Master Plan Highlights. This issue, we present you with two of our highly anticipated features of the park. The Meadow Marsh plan emphasizes future recreational and environmental aspects of the park. By reading about the Historical Architecture we hope you get a preview of the rich cultural and natural history that lies within Floyds Fork.
I hope you enjoy this summer's newsletter. Exciting developments happen each day at The Fork through your continued support. Thank You.
Warm Regards,
Dan Jones
Chairman and CEO
21st Century Parks