Parks Offer Ways to Prevent Diabetes through Physical Activity

Image gallery of different exercise facilities and activities at PBC Parks (wheelchair course, paved and boardwalk nature trails, fitness stations, basketball court, playground and swimming)

November is National Diabetes Month. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 37 million people in the United States have diabetes and over a third have prediabetes. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the cells that make insulin. Type 2 is a metabolic disease, where the body does not respond to insulin properly, increasing blood sugar levels in the body. However, healthy changes and habits can help prevent diabetes, like spending time outdoors, exercising regularly and increasing physical activity.

County Wins Public Relations Award for Nature Adventure Journal

PBC Parks mascot, Oakly, holding Nature Adventure Journal

The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department (PBC Parks) was selected by the Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA) as the recipient of the 2022 FRPA Public Relations Award for their Nature Adventure Journal.

What to know about Beach Wrack

Clumps of seaweed — usually Sargassum — as well as grasses and other marine algae and organisms that wash ashore have a name. It’s called beach wrack, and although some say it may look or smell unpleasant, it does not create a health risk to beachgoers. In fact, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it’s “a pivotal part of the beach ecosystem.”

Beach wrack is beneficial to animals and marine habitats in a number of ways —

• It provides vital food for young sea turtles.
• It serves as fodder for crabs, beetles, and other small creatures, which in turn are food for shore birds.
• It’s used by baby birds as camouflage and foraging material.
• It forms the basis for sand dunes; as dunes start, sand blows along the beach and collects along the windward side of the wrack, forming sand dunes, which help to protect the coastline.

Seaweed is constantly present in the Atlantic Ocean and is washed ashore more frequently during sustained onshore winds with seasonal shifts in the Gulf Stream, particularly when the Gulf Stream nudges closer to the coast in the summer. Occasionally, weather conditions exist in which an unusual amount of beach wrack is washed ashore continuously over a period of time. Before you head to the beach, be sure to check PBC Parks’ Beach Conditions page for locations where concentrations may be heavy.

Audubon Florida’s educational presentation in this video provides a good overview of the importance of beach wrack:  https://youtu.be/9m8o5ZRcNSI

You can help keep PBC Parks’ beaches clean by becoming an Adopt-A-Park partner, a program that gives participants a sense of park ownership and an outlet to give back to the community by maintaining parks, beaches, and trails through picking up litter, maintaining flower beds, painting, and more. You can also join or organize a beach cleanup. Learn more about volunteering with PBC Parks here: https://discover.pbcgov.org/parks/General/Volunteer.aspx.

Power of Parks: Shayna Ginsburg

Welcome to Power of Parks, a podcast produced by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, where we share inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks and recreation.

In honor of May as mental health awareness month, episode 14 features Dr. Shayna Ginsburg. She’s the chief of clinical services, education, and training for the palm beach county youth services department. Shayna joined the podcast via Zoom to talk about the ‘Get Your Green On” campaign, the importance of mental health, and the ways in which visiting parks and spending time in nature can help contribute to better mental health.