DAVE WILKINSON Recreation Director

My career in Recreation began in 1978 working part time with the San Anselmo Parks and Recreation Department. I was employed by the Town of Corte Madera as its Recreation Supervisor in 1981. I developed and supervised youth and adult programs until February of 1997, when I was hired as Recreation Director for the City of Larkspur. It is my commitment, and the commitment of this Department, to provide quality leisure activities for all age groups within the community. It is also our intent to provide park facilities that are safe and attractive for all of Larkspur's citizens.

Larkspur Recreation is committed to providing the best possible service to our community. Through quality programs and events, we seek to foster personal wellness, promote self esteem and entertain our youth and adult participants. Through our parks and open space, we seek to provide a connection with the natural environment.

The Recreation Department organizes and administers passive, active and communal recreation programs throughout the year. We also coordinate and supervise the use of City facilities and parks by groups and individuals.

PARKS and RECREATION...

Benefits Personal Health & Wellness!

• Recreation programs foster personal wellness, and parks provide connection with the natural environment.
• Urban park users find that their state of mind is positively changed as a result of their park visits, especially for older adults.
• A water aerobics program twice a week for 18 weeks can significantly reduce blood pressure, body fat and body weight in elderly community residents.
• Regular physical activity during youth may help prevent or impede the development of many diseases.

Benefits Personal Development & Success!

• Participating in recreation programs builds self-esteem, personal fitness and generates a sense of well-being.
• 95% of Fortune 500 executives in 1987 participated in athletics as children: only 47% were in honor societies.
• Many studies show that participation in recreation activities benefits individuals socially and psychologically by motivating them to public service.
• Children participating in 5 hours of physical activity per week have significantly higher marks in academic programs than children who do not.

Benefits Community Preservation

• Parks and recreation programs contribute significantly to community preservation and quality of life.
• The City of Long Beach, California, uses art and employs at-risk youth to remove unwanted graffiti and preserve the neighborhood's cultural heritage.
• A 1997 survey found that Californians spend about 2.2 billion days in outdoor activities, reporting that outdoor recreation and facilities are very important to their quality of life.
• The city-wide plan for Seattle, Washington, calls for urban villages: denser, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods with open space, including community gardens, as an armature.

Benefits Ecological Diversity

• Parks and open spaces protect biodiversity and ecological integrity, which are essential to sustainability.
• In California, groundwater constitutes about 18.5% of state water supplies.
• Wetland loss near the port of Redwood City, California, is believed to have caused damage to shipping channels in the early 1990s.
• Large open spaces absorb rain water slowly and allow percolation into underground aquifers, reducing flash flooding or erosion danger due to rapid runoff.
• A survey of residents in Columbia, Maryland, showed residents prefer urban runoff ponds, wetlands and wildlife to the dry ponds many cities use.