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National Parks and Recreation Month


National Parks and Recreation Month

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) designated July as America’s official Park and Recreation month in 1985. This month is the perfect time to explore, enjoy, and celebrate our local area parks and recreational centers.

The theme for July 2022 is “We Rise Up for Parks and Recreation!” This July, they are bringing attention to how important it is to rise up and support their field, because every day, park and recreation professionals rise up for their communities in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being.

Local parks and recreation areas

City of Portland Parks & Recreation
There is so much to explore with Portland Parks and Recreation. Find your local pool, park or center and take a class, go for a swim, reserve a picnic site, or enjoy some natural beauty.

City of Hillsboro Parks and Recreation
Hillsboro offers hundreds of programs year-round for all ages including recreational, educational, youth development and cultural classes, adult sports leagues and elementary and middle school after-school programs and summer camp.

Metro Parks and Natural Areas
Explore 17,000 acres of parks, trails and natural areas across the Portland metropolitan region.” Includes an interactive park finder.

North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District
Offers more than 39 parks, 25 natural areas, 15 miles of trails including the 6-mile Trolley Trail, Mount Talbert Nature Park, and three facilities: Hood View Sports Complex, the North Clackamas Aquatic Park, and the Milwaukie Center.

City of Tigard Parks and Recreation
The City of Tigard provides healthy and diverse recreational opportunities through programs, events, parks, and natural areas, for all ages and abilities.

Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD)
THPRD is the largest special park district in Oregon, spanning about 50 square miles and serving 250,000 residents in the greater Beaverton, OR, area. THPRD provides year-round recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Offerings include thousands of diverse classes, more than 95 park sites with active recreational amenities, 70 miles of trails, eight swim centers, six recreation centers, and 1,500 acres of natural areas.

Recommended library materials

Art that changed America. Yellowstone: the first national park
A film. The first dedicated national park anywhere in the world, Yellowstone attracts 318 million visitors every year. It was saved for posterity by the work of two pioneering artists.

Dispossessing: The wilderness Indian removal and the making of the national parks
National parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Glacier preserve some of this country’s most cherished wilderness landscapes. While visions of pristine, uninhabited nature led to the creation of these parks, they also inspired policies of Indian removal.

The Park builders: A history of state parks in the pacific northwest
This book includes the unique history of individuals who shaped the park movement in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

Wildlife watching in America’s national parks – a seasonal guide
America’s national parks are home to some of nature’s great wildlife spectacles. This book focuses on twelve animals that have been imperiled and at risk, but are now protected within the National Park System.