Grants and Fundraising

A variety of grant opportunities specifically targeting traditional playgrounds are available to help fund your project, but their number is limited. Fortunately, the unique qualities of natural playgrounds broaden the range of grant opportunities. Ensuring a high degree of inclusive play also increases funding options. LandCurrent can shape your play area project to build a strong case for specific certifications and funding opportunities.

The state of Oregon provides grants and fund natural play areas for local Oregon governments, contact LandCurrent for more information!

Oregon Nature Play Initiative : Onplay

LandCurrent's Principal Landscape Architect, Anita Van Asperdt, is a founding member of the Oregon Nature Play Initiative or ONPLAY. The Oregon Nature Play Initiative or ONPLAY had its roots at a Natural Play Areas workshop in March of 2010 organized by the Oregon Recreation and Park Association (ORPA) and the Oregon Park and Recreation Department (OPRD). Anita Van Asperdt of LandCurrent was one of the presenters along with various other people some of whom later became key members of ONPLAY. Following the workshop presentation, OPRD staff asked Anita to help design criteria for the development of OPRD funded natural play areas as well as develop step-by-step implementations plans for local communities to develop natural play areas in Oregon. Anita developed draft outlines for these tasks and brought up the idea of an online map that would show all natural play areas completed in Oregon. When Michelle Mathis founded ONPLAY these initial ideas merged with the goals of ONPLAY. In addition, the idea behind ONPLAY, was to be an information sharing group. Founding key members included: Sandra Burtzos (Portlands Park and Recreation), Jerry Burgess and Bruce Barbarash (Tualatin Hills Park and Rec), Rod Wojtanik (Portland Metro), Mark Davison (OPRD), Steve Kirn (Timberform) and of course Michelle Mathis (Learning Landscapes) and Anita Van Asperdt (LandCurrent). Goals shifted along the way as a national team of experts started working on guidelines for nature play under leadership of the National Wildlife Federation. Currently, the group has several new local government members and private landscape architecture practitioners, the group is now back at OPRD where Jamie English along with Vera Vollbrecht and Vicki Sink will lead to group to new goals and aspirations. Contact Jamie English at OPRD if you like to be part of this group or like to be updated on their efforts, or you can contact info@landcurrent.com and we will pass your name along to OPRD.

Nature Play Workshops, Classes and Presentations

LandCurrent's Principal Landscape Architect, Anita Van Asperdt, is both a designer and educator. Below is her schedule of classes, workshops and presentations. Contact info@landcurrent.com to inquire about a nature play workshop, lecture or presentation for your organization: info@landcurrent.com or 541-434-2458 or 503-335-6167

11/06/2013 Nature Play Training, segment presentation on Design & Safety, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, Hosted by ORPA's Maintenance and Construction Section (MACS), for more information click here

10/31/2012, Designing for Nature Play: when and where?, University of British Columbia

09/10/2012, Ready, Set Go! Nature Play is Spreading across Oregon, Oregon Recreation & Park Association, 2012 Annual Conference, Medford Oregon (co-presenter).

05/21/2012, Current Trends in Designing for Nature Play, 2012 Symposium of the Association of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Oregon Chapter (with Michelle Mathis).

04/26/2011, The role of Landscape Architects in designing Natural Play Environments, University of Oregon, Dept. of Landscape Architecture.

Winter Term 2011, Natural Playgrounds for the National Wildlife Refuge system, Undergraduate design Studio, Landscape Architecture Department, University of Oregon. For the results of the studio click here (warning: large pdf file!)

09/28/10 Nature Based Play Areas, Oregon Recreation & Park Association, 2010 Annual Conference, Salem Oregon, (co-presenter)for more information click here

Fall Term 2010, School Yard Transformations: Nature Play, Discovery and Learning Environments for Public Schools, Graduate Studio, Landscape Architecture Department, University of Oregon

06/22/2010, Breakout session speaker at the NATURE PLAY SUMMIT, Vancouver, WA "Natural Playgrounds: Designed or not Designed", for more information click here

03/31/2010, "Inviting Every Child back into the Woods" Presentation for the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department Natural Play Area Workshop, Silver Falls, Oregon

01/17/2010, "Benefits of Natural Play, DIY ideas and Current Trends" Presentation at the Ivy School Montessori, Portland, Oregon