Fact Sheets

This article identifies and categorizes four benefits of Parks and Recreation: Individual, Community, Economic, and Environmental. Within each category are dozens of specific benefits, which are substantiated by facts, field studies, testimonials and research findings.

Fact sheet outlines the environmental, aesthetic, economic, and health benefits of trees in urban environments.

Fact sheet highlighting results from various studies that demonstrate the substantial contribution of recreation activities to Pennsylvania’s economy.

An overview paper of the economic benefits of open space conservation, primarily applicable to suburban and rural areas, where many open-space conservation battles are being fought. It discusses how open space conservation can lead to property tax stability, increased revenues from ecotourism, the maintenance of property values, the prevention of costly infrastructure construction and service costs associated with water and sewage problems, and the avoidance of trash removal and landfill costs.

Fact sheet highlights the numerous studies demonstrating the positive impact of community gardens on health, property values, municipal budgets, food security, carbon emissions, and crime rates.

The most recent National Water Quality Inventory reports that runoff from urbanized areas is the leading source of water quality impairments to surveyed estuaries and the third largest source of impairments to surveyed lakes. This overview provides information on how urbanization affects water quality, what can be done to minimize the impacts, and a list of related publications for further reading.

One-page fact sheets illustrating economic benefits of Pennsylvania state parks.

Fact sheet explaining ecosystem services.

This fact sheet on watershed services documents the significance of investing in forest conservation to protect our drinking water supplies. Private landowners are stewards of over 427 million acres of forest land and their management practices play a vital role in ensuring a sustainable supply of ecosystem services for the public.