Publisher’s Note: Headwater Magic

By Rodney J. Auth

Our home state of Idaho (and neighboring Wyoming) is home to wonderful rivers -the Selway, Payette, Boise, Salmon, Saint Joe, Malad, and the mighty Snake. If you follow these rivers to their end, you’ll find them running into the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, into Great Salt Lake in Utah and even all the way to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast.

Their breadth of travel is remarkable. And, everywhere they go, they provide life – powering industry, sustaining humans and animals alike and nurturing the landscape they traverse.

If you turn around and travel upstream in search of the headwaters of these rivers, you’ll find yourself tucked up against the continental divide in some of the most remote areas of the lower 48. The Snake, for instance, starts in the middle of Yellowstone National Park (the most popular national park on TikTok – in case you care) as a tiny trickle, bubbling up from the ground and growing in size as it gradually works downhill, draining mountains and snowpack from peak after peak.

It's truly amazing to see the humble beginnings of these mighty rivers and more amazing to see how that water ends up in our drinking water, irrigation pipes and swimming pools.

Since this is our annual Aquatics Issue, I thought it might be interesting to take a pause and consider where all that water we use for recreation comes from – and maybe think a bit about how we can conserve, re-use and cherish a resource we all take for granted.

As usual, this issue is chock-full of ideas from parks and rec folks just like you. We cover the problem of attracting, hiring and training lifeguards, ways to “keep your head above water” when operating aquatic facilities, how to prepare for beach volleyball, arbor day and even front-line support for teenager staff who have to respond to help with Opoid overdoses.

It’s a great collection of ideas from the front lines. I hope you like it.

As always, if you do, or if you don’t, let us know. We love mail!

Till next month…

Rodney J. Auth

Publisher

PS: Want to buy a hard copy of this issue? Visit https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/single-issue and we’ll get it to you ASAP.