PARD gets climate study grant

The Parks and Recreation Department has received a $341,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation “to study the physical and emotional health effects of worsening extreme heat due to climate change,” according to a PARD press release. The grant is intended to help PARD’s Cities Connecting Children to Nature program study “whether worsening heat decreases opportunities for physical activity and reduces the overall emotional well-being of young people.” The research will be conducted at three elementary schools with majority Latino populations – Barrington, Cook and Odom – because “Latino children from low-income families have been found to live in areas characterized by urban heat islands and exhibit lower physical activity levels and higher risk of heat illness than other groups.” PARD Director Kimberly McNeeley said the results of the study “will help us understand how equitable access to nature can keep kids happy, healthy, and playing outside.” The results will be published in spring 2021.