South Dakota Park & Recreation Association

Through the Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® Set the Pace Challenge at the 2021 virtual Grand Blue Mile, you could help your community win $10,000 to use on a project that promotes safe, inclusive and accessible places in which to be active, such as a park, playground, or trail. 

All you have to do is rally your community to register for the Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark, scheduled for April 17-25. Additional information and resources, including past project videos and a digital toolkit for communities are available online. Learn more at Set the Pace Challenge.

The South Dakota Parks and Recreation Association recently named the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks as the recipient of the association’s Organization Citation Award. The award recognized the efforts of the department to promote and support recreation in local communities by providing alternative programming and events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more

Several parks and recreation professionals were recently recognized for their long-time service and contributions to the field by the association. Eight individuals were recognized, including two professionals with over 40 years of service each. Learn more

Being an exhibitor at the SDPRA conference allows for growing relationships in the industry.  The conference, being held Oct. 12-14, 2021, in Watertown, is expecting 125+ attendees from more than 20 municipalities and 30 locations within the South Dakota State Park system. This is a great opportunity to showcase your business and services to industry clientele. A variety of options for being an exhibitor or sponsor are available. Learn more

NRPA announces funding and coaching to advance community-driven, systems-level strategies for equitable park access that improves the resilience and health of communities. Projects should address system-wide park access planning, data collection/analysis, policies and/or capital improvements with a focus on creating climate-ready parks. NRPA will fund 6 to 10 communities at $300,000 to $500,000 each for a total of 2.5 years. Informational webinar will be held March 11; applications are due April 23. Learn more