Blogs

Parks Matter
Making the right choices in a new economy

Ever wonder why cities invest in parks, greenways and bike lanes?  The answer is simple: it pays off.

Consider New York City’s Central Park.  Beyond being a treasured local landmark at the center so many lives, it’s also the undeniable benchmark in smart park planning and proof positive that parks matter.  In 1856--before the 843 acre park was built--the assessed valuation of real estate in areas surrounding the site totaled $26 million.  When Central Park opened to the public in 1872, real estate values had risen to $186 million.  Central Park continues to be a major economic engine.  The park provides hundreds of direct employment opportunities and thousands of indirect jobs.  It’s a powerful tool to attract and retain commerce and talented employees, and a magnet for hard-won tourism dollars.  Who goes to New York without visiting Central Park?

For the last two years, we’ve been fortunate enough to have bus loads of volunteers roll into the Park in late winter.  They’re teenagers and young adults who have elected to spend their spring break traveling the county with likeminded folks doing good stuff for others.  When Students Today Leaders Forever descends upon the Park, it’s quite a sight to behold.  We’ve had as many as 300 young people in matching t-shirts running around planting, picking, shoveling and singing.  Oh, yeah.  They sing.  One of the most impressive things about STLF is that all the kids involved seemingly spend their time cooped on the buses learning intricate chants and songs that they perform for us, en masse.  It is a treat for the eyes, ears and flower beds.

Oh, hi there.

picture from icanhascheezburger.com

You haven’t been getting my blog posts?  Really?  They must have gotten lost in the mail.  Now that we’ve cleared that up…

The Internet has a lot of adorable quirks, like its penchant for making cats famous and its insatiable bloodlust for pop stars.  Each holiday season, the Internet gets around to its annual barrage of lists.  The best and worst of the weirdest and most obscure—the Internet ranks and files them all for our merriment.  You know who loves lists?  Everyone.   You know who loves unjustified blanket statements? I do.
Without further ado, I proudly present my list of Top 10 Park Moments of 2010, which like year-end Oscar buzz, will almost certainly prove to be misguided and negligible.

Top 10 Park Moments of 2009, which will be revealed periodically to build suspense.

10. New Recruits
New Staff and Bumper Crop of Baby Bison

Hey everyone! Everest here. I apologize for my blog hiatus; I have been so busy helping the Rangers set up for Starry Nights. I'm back on the web to let you know of another exciting event happening here. From living at the Park, my buffalo pals and I have learned all about ways to help protect our environment, like recycling! Our friends at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop have developed a creative, inspiring, one might even say revolutionary recycling program that benefits the Memphis community. Revolutions takes used bicycles, deconstructs them, and uses the parts to build like-new bicycles. This holiday season, Shelby Farms Park is teaming up with YMCA and Revolutions to provide Mid-South kids with recycled bikes. The kids will get a tour of the bike shop and learn all about how it works. A few weeks later, they'll get to visit me at the Park and take their new bikes for a trail ride! If you'd like to help out, drop off your used bike anytime at the rack in front of the Visitor Center. You can also drop off donations at Revolutions, 1000 S. Cooper St., during the following hours: Sunday 2-5pm, Monday 6:30-8:30pm, and Thursday 6:30-8:30pm.

Hello, again, friends!

Everest here. Happy Buffalo Month of July! Hope you’re as excited as I am. And I hear y’all are helping us come up with names for all our new baby buffalo. Really appreciate it.
Since it is Buffalo month, I figured I should update you guys again on my goings on with St. Ann’s second grade class. Before I do that though, I wanted to remind everyone about why I’m writing, or perhaps inform our first-time readers. I am a buffalo, out here at Shelby Farms, and a few months back I was lucky enough to be adopted by the second grade classes at St. Ann Catholic School in Bartlett through the Shelby Farms Adopt-a-Buffalo program.
These journal entry posts tell the stories of my adventures to the homes of those second graders. Here’s an entry from March 30, when I got to go home with Madeline.

Could you spare $2 a month? Do you like free t-shirts? If you answered "yes" to these questions, you are a prime candidate for membership in the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.

Hello again, friends!

Everest here. I thought I'd write in to update you all again on my goings on with St. Ann's second grade class. Before I do that though, I wanted to remind everyone about why I'm writing, or perhaps inform our first-time readers. I am a buffalo, out here at Shelby Farms Park, and a few months back I was lucky enough to be adopted by the second grade classes at St. Ann Catholic School in Bartlett through the Shelby Farms Adopt-a-Buffalo program.

Greetings, friends!

My name is Everest. I am a buffalo who lives at Shelby Farms Park, and I was lucky enough this past spring to become an adopted member of the family at St. Ann Catholic School in Bartlett through the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy's Adopt-a-Buffalo program. Three second grade classes there got together to become my adoptive parents, and I could not be happier to have become a part of their community. Plus, it's great to know that there's someone taking care of me out there, thinking about the future well-being of my herdmates and me.

I'm being ironic.

Like the wiener dog, my natural enemy is a steep incline.*  Even when I was in fighting shape, there’s nothing I looked forward to less than a jaunt up a hill (besides perhaps 10 jaunts up a hill).  Fortunately for me, Memphis isn’t terribly mountainous.  But I’ve gotta say, there’s something magical about being on my bike and powering up a sharp hill that makes me feel really alive.  It’s the duality of Jen. 

Overcoming the odds is a beautiful thing, but I’ve had a lesson or two in patting myself on the back for defying my low center of gravity.  Yesterday I was wandering through the lobby on my way to my regular 3pm coffee break, when I spotted a guy in a wheelchair gazing at the Master Plan map hanging on the wall.  I asked him if he had any questions.