Guardians of Greenspaces

In this episode, Austin Parks and Recreation’s Juan Hernandez and Paul Slutes talk pools, splash pads and how they got a splashpad design team fired. With more than 50 years of combined experience in the field, Juan and Paul help maintain life-saving spaces as Austin summer temperatures continue to rise. Tune in for their hot takes on regenerative filters, digital controllers and why they’re pivoting away from activators. 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! Transcripts for all episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces ⁠⁠⁠

Take your community connection to the next level! From Lewisville, TX, to Boston, MA, Chris Chastain and Luis Perez Demorizi talk stakeholder engagement, what works (and doesn’t!) and how all of that ties in to rising heat. Listen in to hear the answer to the age-old question: why does the city get to stop mowing their grass and I don’t? 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! Transcripts for all episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces ⁠⁠⁠

Historic parks have always served as place we jump, dance and feast, according to Josh Altidor (General Superintendent, Boston Common) . These centerpieces, like the park system in St. Joseph, Missouri, come with increased — and unique — maintenance challenges. Listen to hear how two park and recreation departments are taking on rats, aging infrastructure, ADA accessibility and more. 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! Transcripts for all episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces ⁠⁠⁠

Ready to stop hiding your streams away underneath parks and in culverts? Join Anna Mathis in Chattanooga, TN and Chris Matthews in Mecklenburg County, NC in the campaign to daylight streams – and get heat mitigation benefits for people and wildlife alike. Explore maintenance solutions to challenges like the establishment phase, construction shock and natural space safety concerns. 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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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

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”!

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.

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.