• Places to exercise to improve health and reduce obesity
• Trails for recreation and non-motorized transportation
• Community gathering places for recreation, relaxation and fun
• Economic benefits from festivals, sports tournaments and other events
• Parks can also protect:
  • Water quality
  • Air quality
  • Habitat for native wildlife and plants
  • Historic and natural resources
  • Places of beauty in urbanizing areas

Priority Areas for Protection:
Parks, recreation centers and trails near population centers to make it easy for citizens to gather for recreation, relaxation and fun and to exercise regularly to improve health and control weight.

Protection Techniques:
Parks and greenways are usually developed on purchased land or land set-aside through the development process by local land use regulation.

Five-Year Goal:
To help local communities implement their park and trail plans.

One hundred and eight of the state's 218 local parks and recreation departments responded to a survey about their needs for additional land and new and renovated park facilities.

Funding Needed:
$2.3 billion over five years ($460 million per year).

The funding estimates presented represent the total dollar amounts listed in the surveys completed by one hundred and eight of the state's 218 local parks and recreation departments. These departments selected to add 34,000 acres of park land at an estimated cost of $459 million, to restore new buildings at a cost of $344 million and to construct new facilities at a cost of $1.458 billion.