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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces director Maria Nardi, on Aug. 13, joined U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI) Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz in hosting a roundtable discussion on federal funding opportunities to better connect South Florida’s underserved communities to the outdoors.
“This project is rooted in the fundamental values of equal access to outdoor recreational opportunity and environmental stewardship,” said Mayor Levine Cava, who is a member of the U.S. National Parks System Advisory Board.
“We are thrilled to have shared in this opportunity to join Assistant Secretary Estenoz in bringing together partners, the South Florida region’s parks leaders, the National Park Service, and our national nonprofit partners to foster a seamless, connected, and sustainable parks system for all of South Florida,” the mayor added.
The leaders discussed the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program.
Established in 2014 and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the nationally competitive program provides matching grants that enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors in economically underserved communities.
“South Florida is rich in natural resources and cultural history. By matching federal funds with local ones and engaging in a deep intentional dialogue around equity, we ensure that even our most urban neighborhoods have parks that serve as a cool, green refuge that encourages recreation, reflection, and community engagement,” said Miami-Dade County District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien, whose commission district includes the host park for this event.
The event was attended by members of the National Park Service, as well as the South Florida Parks Coalition, a Miami-Dade Parks-led alliance of municipal, county, state, and national park agencies in Miami-Dade County, created to foster a seamless, connected, and sustainable parks system for the South Florida community.
Roundtable participants also included county park directors from Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach and Martin counties; key state agency staff; planning and landscape architecture professionals, and the leadership of nonprofit organizations engaged in the partnership component of this funding opportunity, including the Trust for Public Land (TPL).
“Securing funding to expand equitable access to parks is crucial to foster a connection between people and nature, address climate change, and nurture a new generation of park stewards,” Nardi said. “We are grateful to the National Park Service and value the collaboration with our municipal, regional, and nonprofit partners in pursuing this opportunity.”
This roundtable meeting is part of a nationwide tour by Assistant Secretary Estenoz to hear directly from community members on the need to connect communities with access to the outdoors, and to encourage state participation in the ORLP program. The program is helping advance the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, a locally led, voluntary conservation and restoration effort that aims to address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy.
Providing safe outdoor spaces for communities that are park-deprived is one of six areas of focus.
Recently, the Department of the Interior announced $46.7 million in funding through the ORLP program for the redevelopment or creation of 10 local parks, bringing the total nationwide investment of ORLP grant funding in 2024 to nearly $127 million. The department previously announced a $21.9 investment in March 2024 and $58.3 million in November 2023.
Following this productive roundtable, attendees will stay engaged in identifying further opportunities for collaboration in pursuing ORLP funding
For more information on the ORLP grant program and upcoming funding opportunities, visit the National Park Service’s website at www.nps.gov/subjects/lwcf/outdoor-recreation-legacy-partnership-grants-program.htm.
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