Project Implementation

FRI-D08: Partnerships for the Public Good: LWCF Growing Community Parks and Trails

Friday, September 18, 2026

3:00 PM - 4:15 PM PT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Aaron L. Wiener, ASLA, PLA, PMP

Landscape Architect - Outdoor Recreation Planner
National Park Service
Decatur, Georgia
Jen Isacoff, PLA

Interim Director, People, Places & Practice Learning Hub
Trust for Public Land
San Francisco, California
Margaret A. Carson, PhD (she/her/hers)

Native Affairs Analyst
National Park Service
Columbia, South Carolina

Discover how the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund and its partnerships transform communities: creating vibrant parks, trails, and protecting natural spaces. Learn strategies to secure funding, explore a successful project, and see how collaborative investments boost economies, improve health, and expand access to outdoor recreation for all.

Learning Outcomes:

Explore a real-world case study demonstrating how inclusive planning and responsive design, by landscape architects, creates social, environmental, and economic benefits for diverse communities, advancing the profession through equity-driven innovation.
Describe how LWCF and ORLP funding priorities under the EXPLORE Act drive park access, community engagement, and resource partnerships in underserved urban areas.
Apply practical strategies to prepare competitive grant applications, including collaborative outreach, accessible communication, and shared decision-making techniques.
Apply actionable tools to reduce barriers to outdoor recreation and implement approaches that strengthen resilience, improve health outcomes, and foster community connections.