Today, we talk with Nicolas Breedlove, CEO and Founder of MVP Playgrounds, about the ever-exploding trend of building fitness trails in parks around the country.

Adult fitness trails are growing in popularity. They turn parks into a low-cost way for community members to be outside and invest in their health. When well-made, trails provide a pleasant blend of strength and cardio stations that allow individuals to get a good workout. Trails also double as opportunities for quality social interaction when they’re designed the right way.

The problem is that, while there is a wealth of information available about the right machines and routines for fitness, social interactions are often overlooked. And yet, it is this element more than anything else that turns many adult fitness trails into neighborhood hot spots, while a lack of social opportunities leaves other trails empty and unused.

For parks and recreation leaders involved in or considering creating an adult fitness trail, there are some social cues and environmental factors to consider with every layout. The following are subtle design decisions that can turn a standard fitness trail into a social motivator and a true training hub.

If you prefer to watch this episode, you can access it on our YouTube channel. If you'd prefer to read this article, you can do so on www.prpblus.com.

Enjoy!

Today, we talk with CampFest 2026 presenters Angelina Stancampiano (Wyoming State Parks) and Kyle Bernis (Kansas State Parks) about how state parks across America are located on lands with deep Indigenous histories and ongoing tribal connections.

They offer a preview of their CampFest session, which will provide practical guidance for park professionals seeking to build respectful, collaborative relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous communities. Drawing from successful partnerships developed in Wyoming and Oklahoma state park systems, they'll share real-world strategies, challenges overcome, and lessons learned from working directly with tribal entities on cultural interpretation, resource management, and community engagement initiatives.

Participants will gain actionable approaches for initiating tribal consultation, navigating sovereignty and protocol considerations, developing co-interpretive programming, and creating mutually beneficial partnerships that honor Indigenous knowledge while enhancing visitor experiences and resource stewardship. This session was successfully presented at the 2025 NRPA Annual Conference and has been adapted for virtual delivery to reach park, rec, and camp professionals nationwide.

You can watch this podcast on YouTube.

Join us for the live session on Thursday, February 26, at 12 p.m. ET. You can register here for FREE.

Today we talk with Karen Fischer about her article on how the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie offers a new blueprint for conservation

As Fischer says, "I don’t know what a prairie looks like, yet I spent years living in the Midwest. But neither do you, even if you’re reading this, from the Midwest, right now. In fact, no one knows what a prairie really looks like because it has long been gone."

Gerald Heinrich, the main character in this story, also mourned for something long lost as a young kid growing up in proximity to the Joliet Arsenal in Elwood, Ill. The Arsenal opened in 1940 to manufacture ammunition and explosives for the U.S. military in World War II. Prior to that, the plains were home to small, agrarian communities with numerous small farmers. Every square mile, there were two to three families, Heinrich says, and prior to 1800, the land was “very much unsettled” by Europeans. At that junction, numerous Indigenous tribes had continuously settled or passed through the land for over 12,000 years. Over time, there were agricultural villages established in the region to till and cultivate the dense, dark soil beneath the tall, swaying tallgrasses.

But with new European settlers came plows, and with the passage of time, more and more people. That was the beginning of the end of the iconic tallgrass prairie.

You can read the whole story at www.prbplus.com or watch this interview on our YouTube channel.