Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on environmental resilience from a park and recreation maintenance lens that uplifts the voices of experts in the field.
Tune in to hear episodes on timely conservation topics like tree care and maintenance, daylighting streams, community engagement and more! See transcripts for all episodes at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces
For a limited time only, share your thoughts on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
In this episode, Austin Parks and Recreation’s Juan Hernandez and Paul Slutes talk pools, splash pads and how they got a splashpad design team fired. With more than 50 years of combined experience in the field, Juan and Paul help maintain life-saving spaces as Austin summer temperatures continue to rise. Tune in for their hot takes on regenerative filters, digital controllers and why they’re pivoting away from activators.
For a limited time only, share your thoughts (https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8225151/Guardians-of-Greenspaces-Key-Question) on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
Transcripts for all episodes can be found at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces (nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces)
11 Aug 2026
Community Engagement in Lewisville and Boston
Take your community connection to the next level! From Lewisville, TX, to Boston, MA, Chris Chastain and Luis Perez Demorizi talk stakeholder engagement, what works (and doesn’t!) and how all of that ties in to rising heat. Listen in to hear the answer to the age-old question: why does the city get to stop mowing their grass and I don’t?
For a limited time only, share your thoughts (https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8225151/Guardians-of-Greenspaces-Key-Question) on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
Transcripts for all episodes can be found at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces (nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces)
14 Jul 2026
Historic Park Maintenance in Boston and St. Joseph
Historic parks have always served as place we jump, dance and feast, according to Josh Altidor (General Superintendent, Boston Common) . These centerpieces, like the park system in St. Joseph, Missouri, come with increased — and unique — maintenance challenges. Listen to hear how two park and recreation departments are taking on rats, aging infrastructure, ADA accessibility and more.
For a limited time only, share your thoughts (https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8225151/Guardians-of-Greenspaces-Key-Question) on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
Transcripts for all episodes can be found at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces (nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces)
9 Jun 2026
Daylighting Streams in Chattanooga and Mecklenburg County
Ready to stop hiding your streams away underneath parks and in culverts? Join Anna Mathis in Chattanooga, TN and Chris Matthews in Mecklenburg County, NC in the campaign to daylight streams – and get heat mitigation benefits for people and wildlife alike. Explore maintenance solutions to challenges like the establishment phase, construction shock and natural space safety concerns.
Transcripts for all episodes can be found at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces (nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces)
For a limited time only, share your thoughts (https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8225151/Guardians-of-Greenspaces-Key-Question) on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
12 May 2026
Tree Maintenance for Shade in Portland
Trees create shade. Shade keeps people cool. We kick off Season 2 of Guardians of Greenspaces with the most clear way to address extreme heat – trees, which actually do much more than just provide shade. We’re excited to welcome Belinda Judelman, Planning and Policy Analyst for Portland Parks and Recreation, and Joel Smith, Tree Inspector with the city of Portland, to share their perspectives on maintenance strategies for a healthy and cool tree canopy.
Transcripts for all episodes can be found at nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces (nrpa.org/guardiansofgreenspaces)
For a limited time only, share your thoughts (https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8225151/Guardians-of-Greenspaces-Key-Question) on an episode within two weeks of the drop for a chance to win a FREE 2026 NRPA Annual Conference registration!
24 Jun 2025
Natural Water Maintenance in Boise and Columbus
Sustainability specialist Daniel Roop and water quality manager Kate Harris from Boise, along with watershed manager Lorraine Krzyzewski and natural resource manager Tina Mohn from Columbus, discuss strategies for maintaining natural water areas, in this interview episode.
17 Jun 2025
Trees and Riparian Zones: Green Infrastructure in Houston
Natural resources manager Kelli Ondracek explores Houston's riparian restoration and tree-based green infrastructure, highlighting protocols for long-lasting maintenance in this interview.
10 Jun 2025
Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Raleigh and Tuscon
Neal Wisenbaker, Blue Baldwin, and Greg Jackson examine green stormwater infrastructure and maintenance solutions in Raleigh and Tucson, highlighting cross-departmental collaboration to support sustainable projects in this interview episode.
3 Jun 2025
Sustainable Turf in Sioux Center
Lee Van Meeteren, Parks Director, explores sustainable turf management practices in Sioux Center, Iowa, emphasizing water conservation and the importance of staff input for maintaining safe athletic fields.
27 May 2025
Grey Water Reuse in Purcell and Los Alamos County
Cory Styron, Emmanuel Abeyta, and John Blue examine grey water reuse strategies in Los Alamos County and Purcell, revealing how municipalities can conserve potable water and gain community support in this interview episode.
20 May 2025
Community Engagement
In this episode, Shaundon Moore (Dekalb County, GA) and Dr. Viniece Jennings discuss how community engagement can be a solution to several park-based maintenance challenges. Listen in to discover how to transition park users into park champions!
13 May 2025
Smart Irrigation in Denver
In this episode, Lynn Fulton and Michael Sabin explore how smart irrigation supports maintenance staff in implementing water conservation in Denver. This episode discusses central control as a technique to grow irrigation technicians to water stewards and managers. Learn how this tool reduced the water usage at four Denver parks by an average of 60%, leading to annual savings of 328,000 gallons per acre and 3 million gallons of water overall.
6 May 2025
Water Audits in Seattle
In this episode, Karen Galt and Tyler Flynn from the City ofSeattle discuss three types of water audits and the water savings they offer. This episode offers best practices for running water audits, including adaptions to water audits for your agency and creative incentives for maintenance staff. Listen in to find out why “every drop matters”!
29 Apr 2025
Native Planting in Snohomish County
In this episode, Stacy Fuchs, Emily Griffith, and Jay Tavarez-Brown share how native planting is a key tool for water conservation in Snohomish County, WA. This episode willcover topics including the impact of native plants on water-cost savings, looking to climate adaptation for the future, addressing community engagement around native palettes and others.
19 Apr 2025
Staff Engagement in San Antonio
Staff inclusion, education and engagement make low impact development and green infrastructure systems possible in San Antonio, Texas. In this episode, listen as Tommy Mitchell, Brian Laechelin and Peter Pierson from the San Antonio River Authority explore the impact of good staff engagement and the mechanisms for staff training that have worked for them.
Further Learning:
NRPA Green Infrastructure Evaluation Framework (https://www.nrpa.org/our-work/partnerships/initiatives/greener-parks/green-infrastructure-framework/)
National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvirocert.org%2Fngicp%2F&data=05%7C02%7Crkalamangalam%40nrpa.org%7C0b7e1b47147e4c1769ce08dd5cd24921%7C9f11764f9c1b4b3a9f34f893c8526e77%7C0%7C0%7C638768780440059991%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ezIqBSyefDZuETek7AL%2FT%2BP668F4m262Q2UTka6zAsA%3D&reserved=0)
San Antonio River Authority - Low Impact Development (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sariverauthority.org%2Fservices%2Fsustainability%2Flow-impact-development%2F&data=05%7C02%7Crkalamangalam%40nrpa.org%7C0b7e1b47147e4c1769ce08dd5cd24921%7C9f11764f9c1b4b3a9f34f893c8526e77%7C0%7C0%7C638768780440075239%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HGXxQD8H15DDrloQd%2FihKtdifQHckF92Qxt6OC8XWhw%3D&reserved=0)
San Antonio River Authority - Green Infrastructure (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sariverauthority.org%2Fservices%2Fsustainability%2Fgreen-infrastructure%2F&data=05%7C02%7Crkalamangalam%40nrpa.org%7C0b7e1b47147e4c1769ce08dd5cd24921%7C9f11764f9c1b4b3a9f34f893c8526e77%7C0%7C0%7C638768780440089591%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Px8k0mdML4RglclgUi3EKOyQbO2IbaZ%2FKodWyNs7s9s%3D&reserved=0)
FEMA Funding for Green Infrastructure (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov%2Fnps%2Fusing-low-impact-development-and-green-infrastructure-get-benefits-fema-programs&data=05%7C02%7Crkalamangalam%40nrpa.org%7C0b7e1b47147e4c1769ce08dd5cd24921%7C9f11764f9c1b4b3a9f34f893c8526e77%7C0%7C0%7C638768780440104691%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=flEK7lDq6qfuhJxfHutskl540puWLrpw%2Fy1VCCsFtZc%3D&reserved=0)
Low Impact Development Primer (EPA) (https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-urban-areashttps:/www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-urban-areas)
Who has been a guest on Guardians of Greenspaces
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Daniel Roop
Kate Harris
Lorraine Krzyzewski
Tina Mohn
Kelli Ondracek
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
312,887
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
50
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
0
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Guest appearances
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