- Plan Would Raze Part of L.A. River's Concrete Bank
March 30 - L.A. Times - A new proposal for a state park at a Union Pacific rail yard calls for natural pools, soccer fields, amphitheater and gardens.
- From Rustbelt to Greenway
March 30 - Bergen Record - The industrial waterfront in Hackensack, New Jersey is slated to be transformed into a recreational greenway with a 1.5-mile, $2.5 million walkway linking two city parks.
- Saving "Silicon Valley's Back 40"
March 27 - San Jose Mercury News - In this rapidly urbanizing section of the Bay Area, preservationists are working to save a stretch of the Diablo Range, noted for its rolling hills, oaks, and native wildlife.
- Savannah Gets New Park and Tree Director
March 27 - Savannah Morning News - The Georgia city, known for the moss-draped live oaks of its urban forest, had gone for more than a year without a leader in this department.
- How Green is Their Valley
March 25 - Jeruselam Post - Residents in Southern Jeruselam's once-rural Katamonim Valley are protesting to rename and reclaim a plot of agricultural land slated for potential office development.
- Loyal, Two-Legged Lobbyists Raise Banner of Dog Rights
March 25 - New York Times - Coverage of the leash vs. off-leash debate heating up in San Francisco, plus the larger issues surrounding dogs, their owners, and the rights of both.
- Anacostia Waterfront Gets a Long Look
March 22 - The Washington Post - Washington D.C. turns to the Anacostia riverfront as a tool for revitalization, with proposals for parks and open space, entertainment venues and housing, retail and office projects along its banks.
- LA Railyard to Become State Park
March 21 - Environmental News Network - An abandoned railyard on the Los Angeles River has been purchased to create the downtown's first state park-open space-recreation complex.
- New Foundation Sets Park as First Priority
March 19 - Lincoln Journal-Star - After acquiring 20 acres of land, Nebraska's Village of Ceder Crest set up a community foundation to more easily apply for grants and donations. Now the foundation has begun to implement a number of park improvements on the original land.
- Open Space in Colorado
March 18 - Denver Post - As sprawling growth and expansion continues across Colorado, county agencies have responded by acquiring land to preserve as open space.
- Cleaning Up Gas Works Park: A Closer Look
March 17 - Seattle Times - After being converted from an industrial wasteland into an urban park, Seattle's popular Gas Works Park recently underwent additional clean-up and landscaping efforts to remove lingering chemicals and gasses. See also the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's story.
- Arsenic in Pressure-Treated Wood Causes Playground Closures
March 16 - St. Petersburg Times - After finding dangerous levels of arsenic in St. Petersburg's Al Lopez Playground, officials are unsure whether to simply keep the park closed, tear it down, or attempt to clean it up.
- Can a National Park Enliven a Tired City?
March 12 - The Bergen Record - Proponents say that designating the Great Falls area of Paterson, NJ as an urban national park would help revitalize the city, and also protect its historical nature.
- New Playground Trend: Climbing Walls
March 10 - St. Paul Pioneer-Press - Outdoor climbing walls are arriving on the scene at many playgrounds, which are adapting to shifting recreational trends.
- Selling Off Public Spaces
March 9 - New York Times - Plans to auction naming rights for four Boston subway stations have some wondering whether parks and other public places are next.
- Study Warns: Play at Your Own Risk in Texas Parks
March 8 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram -Further bolstering Texas' lamentable environmental record, a new study claims several city parks in the state may be using unsafe levels of pesticides - and possibly putting patrons at risk.
- Queens Library Moves Past 'Shh' (and Books)
March 7 - New York Times - Just as parks are moving beyond recreation to bring in new audiences, another democratic institution - the library - is creating a new social role for itself. Synergy, anyone?
- Putting Deer on the Pill
March 8 - Philadelphia Inquirer - Opposition to sharpshooters authorized to "thin" city parks' deer population has led the Fairmount Park Commission to consider an alternative... birth control.
- Park Buildings Get Major Boost
March 6 - Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago has embarked on a $10 million rehab of many of its neighborhood park field houses - an amenity developed there in the early 1900's as an outgrowth of the settlement house movement.
- Park Users Fees in Washington State
March 9: The columnist presents an argument against fees for state parks, but the issues applies to city parks as well. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- Town Stakes Out New-Age Turf
March 25 - L.A. Times - At two parks in Laguna Niguel, CA, crews are about to lay down "faux sod" made from recycled tires - a new generation of astroturf said to be better than the real thing.
