Guardians of Greenspaces

National Recreation and Park Association
  • 5.0 (2)
  • NON-PROFIT

Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on environmental resilience from a park and recreation maintenance lens that uplifts the voices of experts in the field. Tune in to hear episodes on timely conservation topics like tree care and maintenance, daylighting streams, community engagement and more! See transcripts for all episodes 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!

Episodes

  1. 3D AGO

    Tree Maintenance for Shade in Portland

    Trees create shade. Shade keeps people cool. We kick off Season 2 of Guardians of Greenspaces with the most clear way to address extreme heat – trees, which actually do much more than just provide shade. We’re excited to welcome Belinda Judelman, Planning and Policy Analyst for Portland Parks and Recreation, and Joel Smith, Tree Inspector with the city of Portland, to share their perspectives on maintenance strategies for a healthy and cool tree canopy. 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!

    23 min

  2. 06/24/2025

    Natural Water Maintenance in Boise and Columbus

    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!

    30 min

  3. 06/17/2025

    Trees and Riparian Zones: Green Infrastructure in Houston

    In this episode, Kelli Ondracek, natural resources manager at the City of Houston, discusses the impact of riparian restoration and tree-based green infrastructure on water conservation. Drawing from years of experience, Ondracek shares protocols, tips and principles for long-lasting green infrastructure maintenance.

    26 min

  4. 06/10/2025

    Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Raleigh and Tucson

    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!

    31 min

  5. 06/03/2025

    Sustainable Turf in Sioux Center

    In this episode, Lee Van Meeteren, Parks Director for theCity of Sioux Center and the Head Groundskeeper for the City of Sioux Center, discusses turf management for water conservation, showcasing how turf safety and resource conservation go hand in hand in Sioux Center, Iowa. Listen in to hear the strategies one agency is using to save water and maintain athletic fields—including implementing maintenance staff feedback and ideas.

    26 min

  6. 05/27/2025

    Grey Water Reuse in Purcell and Los Alamos County

    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.

    19 min

  7. 05/20/2025

    Community Engagement

    In this episode, Shaundon Moore (Dekalb County, GA) and Dr. Viniece Jennings discuss how community engagement can be a solution to several park-based maintenance challenges. Listen in to discover how to transition park users into park champions!

    25 min

  8. 05/13/2025

    Smart Irrigation in Denver

    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

    22 min

  9. 05/06/2025

    Water Audits in Seattle

    In this episode, Karen Galt and Tyler Flynn from the City ofSeattle discuss three types of water audits and the water savings they offer. This episode offers best practices for running water audits, including adaptions to water audits for your agency and creative incentives for maintenance staff. Listen in to find out why “every drop matters”!

    24 min

  10. 04/29/2025

    Native Planting in Snohomish County

    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.

    22 min

  11. 04/19/2025

    Staff Engagement in San Antonio

    Staff inclusion, education and engagement make low impact development and green infrastructure systems possible in San Antonio, Texas. In this episode, listen as Tommy Mitchell, Brian Laechelin and Peter Pierson from the San Antonio River Authority explore the impact of good staff engagement and the mechanisms for staff training that have worked for them.

    25 min
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on environmental resilience from a park and recreation maintenance lens that uplifts the voices of experts in the field. Tune in to hear episodes on timely conservation topics like tree care and maintenance, daylighting streams, community engagement and more! See transcripts for all episodes 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!

Information

  • Creator
    National Recreation and Park Association
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © National Recreation and Park Association
  • Show Website
    Guardians of Greenspaces