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International flair: U.S. park and recreation departments realize it really is a small world after all.

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LET'S FACE IT: For the United States, most of the last decade was spent in a fairly isolationist frame of mind. We did our thing, the rest of the world did its. Not a whole lot of cross-continent collaboration.

But that time is gone. We're not mentioning any names, but the man now in charge is a bit more cosmopolitan than his predecessor. Things have changed.

And public park and recreation departments seem to be falling in line. As readers will see in the following case studies, park and recreation professionals are learning that great ideas can come from beyond our own borders.

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Trail Time

For the Glendale Parks and Recreation Department in Arizona, it was a Recreational Trail Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration that got things rolling six years ago on an innovative trail-maintenance program.

Working in collaboration with the nonprofit American Conservation Experience, or ACE, Glendale Parks and Recreation brings volunteers from Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia to America.

ACE recruits and trains the international student interns and recent university graduates, while the agency provides food, housing, and training in exchange for dedicated work on a range of environmental conservation projects.

The volunteer's commitment is three months of his or her time, as well as travel expenses to and from Arizona. ACE provides technical expertise and training in trail-building, safety, maintenance, and practical experience that volunteers...

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