Outdoor RecreationPlan of Work

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Gallatin County CES

Title:
Outdoor Recreation
MAP:
Healthy Communities
Agents Involved:
Hull, Broderick, Stewart
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Trail Design
Situation:
Outdoor recreation is key in helping address some of today’s pressing health care issues. Creating walkable and bike-able areas and making improvements
to the built environment can encourage active living and better overall health for the community at large.

It's been shown that parks, trails and other recreational amenities create places where people want to live, work and play. The improvement and/or expansion of current outdoor recreation areas can have a positive impact on a community's economic development.
Long-Term Outcomes:
- Expansion of existing outdoor recreation areas (ORA's)
- Creation of new ORA's
- Establishment of funding source expressly for outdoor recreation
- "Friends of Gallatin ORA's" group formed to help maintain outdoor areas
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Greater number of citizens utilizing current ORA's
- Establishment of a county organization to help oversee and give guidance to county leadership in matters pertaining to ORA's
- Obtain funding for equipment necessary for ORA trail creation and maintenance
- Organized outdoor recreation events throughout the calendar year
Initial Outcomes:
- Marketing plan for outdoor recreation opportunities and events in the county
- More county residents will become acquainted with county ORA's
- 2 organized outdoor recreation events at county ORA's
Evaluation:
Initial Outcome:
Indicator: Creation of ORA Marketing Plan
Method: YES or NO
Timeline: 3 - 6 months

Intermediate Outcome:
Indicator: Greater number of citizens utilizing county ORA's
Method: Survey instruments, digital counters at ORA entrances
Timeline: 12 months

Long-term Outcome:
Indicator: Increase number of walking trails at county ORA's
Method: tabulation
Timeline: 18 - 24 months
Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Gallatin County Residents

Project or Activity: ORA Field Day at newest county park

Content or Curriculum: Informal gathering designed to highlight the new park's many opportunities for outdoor recreation, i.e., hiking, horseback riding, fishing, etc.

Inputs: Locally developed park maps and brochures, tractors and wagons

Date: Fall 2017


Audience: Gallatin County Residents

Project or Activity: Wildflower Walks

Content or Curriculum: Agent, specialist, or leader led program designed to show the many species of wildflowers present at county ORA's

Inputs: Wildflower manuals, event promotion

Date: Spring 2018


Audience: Gallatin County Residents

Project or Activity: "Hiking Hartig" series

Content or Curriculum: Agent led physical fitness program wherein participants will meet weekly for a month and hike different parts of Hartig Nature Preserve

Inputs: Program promotion

Date: Summer 2018


Audience: Gallatin County Residents

Project or Activity: Warsaw Walkability Assessment/Create Walking Path

Content or Curriculum: UK Landscape Architecture/CEDIK

Inputs: UK Students, Staff, Volunteers, Livewell Group

Date: Summer 2017


Audience: Gallatin County Residents

Project or Activity: Warsaw City Riverfront Park Walking Path Creation

Content: UK Landscape Architecture/CEDIK Report, Livewell Group

Inputs: Community members, City of Warsaw, Three Rivers Health District and other organizations

Date: Summer 2017



Success Stories

Purple Hearts & Heroes Hunt

Author: David Hull

Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)

Because of our association with the 500 acre Hartig Park, the Gallatin County Extension Service was approached by Purple Hearts & Heroes to co-sponsor an event at the park. The Purple Hearts & Heroes Foundation is an organization that exists to provide deserving veterans, and the children of fallen veterans, the opportunity to connect, or re-connect with the outdoors through organized outdoor adventures. Working in collaboration with the Purple Hearts & Heroes group and the Gall

Full Story

Making Warsaw More Walkable

Author: Sherri Broderick

Major Program: Trail Design

Gallatin County is a small rural Kentucky county with a population of approximately 8,500. CountyHealthRankings.org data, rank Gallatin, 85th of 120 counties in Kentucky in health behaviors; 36% of adult residents are obese, and 32% report no physical activity. One strategy to improve county health rankings is to increase opportunities for physical activity, because only 8% reported access to physical activity. To explore ways to make the city of Warsaw (the county seat), a more walkab

Full Story

Hartig Park: Gallatin's Newest Park

Author: David Hull

Major Program: Economic Development

In 2014, the Hartig Family offered, free of charge, over 530 acres of land to Gallatin County with the conditions that the land would never be sold or developed for housing or commercial use. In other words, they wanted it to stay a green-space.The county accepted the gift, but really had no clear idea of how to best utilize the gift. The Judge Executive of Gallatin County approached the Gallatin County Extension Service (Ag Agent) and asked that we take a leadership role in defining how the par

Full Story
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