Making the Grade

The winter weather outside might be frightful, but the blooms of the newly renovated Sandusky Community Greenhouse are absolutely delightful. The community greenhouse and Sandusky/Erie Community Foundation are beneficiaries of one of the $15 million in grants awarded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Access to Recreation initiative.

by Anne Cornett

With a rich history dating back to the 1800’s, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has proven to be one of this century’s most dedicated advocates of accessible recreation. With the advent of ADA regulations in 1990 and the implementation of the Access to Recreation initiative in 2006 sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Michigan DNR has embraced the challenge of providing accessible opportunities to all individuals interested in participation. From accessible hunting blinds and trails, to an innovative water transfer system the Michigan DNR truly goes above and beyond to provide the best experience possible.

by Michelle Cook

When the location of travel is located "off the beaten path" access becomes challenging for people with disabilities. This is the task that Andrew Trontis chose to undertake: to build a barrier-free wilderness campsite developed in the rugged backwoods area of the Teertertown Nature Preserve, a Hunterdon County Park, in Lebanon Township, NJ.

Designers planning boardwalks and viewing platforms are often challenged with creating accessible spaces and balancing the need for safety. Planners for the Florida State Parks decided to meet the challenge head on in Fanning Springs State Park. Planners used a wire mesh railing treatment to increase visibility while maintaining safety for park visitors.

Fanning Springs State Park is located on Florida's west coast on the famous Suwannee River, halfway between Tallahassee and Tampa. The park offers nature trails, swimming, boating and other various outdoor activities. Fanning Spring is one of Florida's 27 first magnitude springs. The wire mesh railing is installed on an 8 ½' x 11' boardwalk that extends from a swimming area to a gazebo overlooking the river.

Throughout the summer, trolley riders can take an interpretive tour as it meanders through the Sinnissippi Gardens and along the Rock River in Rockford, Illinois. The Rockford Park District, which operates Trolley Car 36 and the tour through the gardens, has been exploring options and has come up with a solution for making the trolley accessible.

The trolley excursion was first identified with an architectural barrier in the District's transition plan back in 1992. Many discussions amongst staff over the years have centered on creative solutions for making the trolley accessible. At one point, discussion focused on adding boarding ramps at the trolley station and at stops along the railway. However, railroad regulations restricted the placement of such boarding ramps in too close a proximity to the railroad tracks. So discussion turned to modifying the historic trolley itself.

"It broke my heart every day seeing Dad or Mom seated on the pavement watching their kids play 100 feet away on the beach." These words from John Short, Parks Director of Plainfield Charter Township, echoed the feelings of many in the community.

This quickly growing township on the northeast edge of Grand Rapids saw a need at Versluis Park and responded to the challenge. Tired of observing patrons who were unable to engage in beach and water activities because of varying abilities, they decided to do something about it.

Spring time brings a flurry of activity to our parks and recreation areas. As people return to the parks en masse, recreation providers hustle to make improvements to their sites. As park staff undertake spring projects, consider the Barre Falls Dam example and take a proactive approach towards providing accessibility. "We had picnic tables with no seats. People with disabilities would come with their families and the family members would have no where to sit." Ralph Gendron, Project Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, refers to the picnic site recently completed at Barre Falls Dam in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.

Located north of Montesano, Washington, Lake Sylvia State Park is a quiet, peaceful retreat surrounded by forest. The Park began as an old logging camp in a wooded area halfway between Olympia and the Pacific shore. The lake was formed by damming up Sylvia Creek for the purpose of log ponding and power production.

In 1936, the town of Montesano donated the land to the State parks Commission for conservation. Additional lands were added to the park by a trade in 1985.

How do you caption a moving amusement ride? Use technology. That’s what the folks at Walt Disney World Resorts did.

Effectively communicating the story and message of moving amusement rides has long been a challenge for the amusement park industry. In many moving narrative attractions, such as Peter Pan’s Flight, it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, fixed captioning systems are not always effective as the ride is often moving too fast to read the captions. So the Disney engineers put wireless technology to work and developed a synchronized handheld captioning system.

The Susquehannock Case in the Archaeology Gallery at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, is a complex case. It contains approximately 100 artifacts, which are some of the best Native American artifacts in the museum’s collection. Only one artifact, the breastplate, could not be exhibited and was modeled because of its deteriorated state.

The exhibit tells the story of the Susquehannock, a lost people, from the 16th Century to the 18th Century spanning five historical periods. The Susquehannock migrated from northern Pennsylvania into the Lower Susquehanna Valley and subsequently traded with the newly arrived Europeans. Many of the objects on display show the various stages of their culture. The Susquehannock culture came to an end in 1763 when the Paxton Boys from Harrisburg became outraged by stories of native atrocities against white settlers, destroyed and killed the Native American residents in the settlement, Conestoga Indian Town.