The U.S. Treasury recently provided an updated set of FAQs to provide further guidance on eligible uses for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRPFAQ.pdf The updated FAQs (as of July 19, 2021) make it very clear that investing in parks, open space, recreation, trails, and conservation are eligible uses for ARPA funds and that counties and municipalities have significant discretion in how to award funds to such projects.
Here is an excerpt of the relevant portion of the FAQs. https://files.constantcontact.com/f08611e6001/05fe1f8d-4655-4084-9667-f971bd216031.pdf
NATURE NUGGET: Mark your calendar to celebrate the National Park Service’s 105th birthday on August 25, 2021! National parks across the country will be hosting in-park programs and virtual experiences. Entrance fees are also waived for everyone to come out to enjoy their national parks!
In honor of this 105th birthday, join us for a month-long celebration in August with a theme Park Scrapbooks. Generations of people have visited national parks for more than a century and continue to create new memories. Early park visitors sent postcards, captured photographs, and created scrapbooks to preserve memories and share with others. How do you capture or share your park memories and experiences? Videos, artwork, poetry, photographs, passport stamps, social media stories…the possibilities are endless.
Join the conversation and share your “park scrapbooks” on social media using #ParkScrapbooks and #FindYourPark or #EncuentraTuParque.
NATURE QUOTE:
“Porcupine Pat” McKinney is environmental education coordinator for the Schuylkill Conservation District and provides programming for people of all ages with an emphasis on schools, public programming and nature center development. “Porcupine Pat” hails from Marion, Ohio and has a BS with Distinction in Natural Resources – Environmental Interpretation from Ohio State. He is a recipient of the prestigious Sandy Cochran Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Education from the PA Forestry Association, the Schuylkill Pride Award, and the PAEE “Outstanding Environmental Educator Award.”
