Guardians of Greenspaces

Ready to stop hiding your streams away underneath parks and in culverts? Join Anna Mathis in Chattanooga, TN and Chris Matthews in Mecklenburg County, NC in the campaign to daylight streams – and get heat mitigation benefits for people and wildlife alike. Explore maintenance solutions to challenges like the establishment phase, construction shock and natural space safety concerns. Transcripts for all episodes can be found at ⁠nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces ⁠For a limited time only, ⁠share your thoughts⁠ on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!

In this episode, water managers and park professionals share their insights on balancing recreation and water quality through maintenance of natural water areas like ponds, reservoirs and rivers. This episode features two guests from the City of Boise, ID, Daniel Roop, sustainability specialist, and Kate Harris, water quality programs manager, and two guests from the City of Columbus, OH, Lorraine Krzyzewski, watershed manager, and Tina Mohn, natural resource, conservation and asset manager. Listen in to hear strategies for supporting water health, removing resident geese, preventing harmful algal bloom and more!

In this episode we’re joined by Green Stormwater Infrastructure Operations Supervisor Neal Wisenbaker in Raleigh, North Carolina, Storm to Shade Program Manager Blue Baldwin from Tucson Water, City of Tucson, Arizona, and Deputy Director of Tucson Parks and Recreation Greg Jackson. They discuss green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in their municipalities as well as park-based GSI maintenance issues, solutions and protocols that support long-lasting sustainable projects. Listen in to hear more about how good cross departmental collaboration can be a solution to green stormwater infrastructure maintenance challenges!

In this episode, Cory Styron and Emmanuel Abeyta (Los Alamos County, New Mexico), and John Blue (Purcell, Oklahoma) discuss what grey water reuse looks like in their municipalities. From water reclamation to effluent water, learn how this tool could help you save big and conserve potable water. Listen in to hear how two agencies are using—and getting community buy in—on grey water reuse.

In this episode, Lynn Fulton and Michael Sabin explore how smart irrigation supports maintenance staff in implementing water conservation in Denver. This episode discusses central control as a technique to grow irrigation technicians to water stewards and managers. Learn how this tool reduced the water usage at four Denver parks by an average of 60%, leading to annual savings of 328,000 gallons per acre and 3 million gallons of water overall.The first 150 listeners to ⁠provide feedback by sharing a key takeaway⁠ will win a $50 gift card to the NRPA Store. Please see rules and further details at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces

In this episode, Stacy Fuchs, Emily Griffith, and Jay Tavarez-Brown share how native planting is a key tool for water conservation in Snohomish County, WA. This episode willcover topics including the impact of native plants on water-cost savings, looking to climate adaptation for the future, addressing community engagement around native palettes and others.