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Stacy Bare
Executive Director at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
Stacy Bare is the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, a position he has held since February 2022.1 He brings over a decade of experience focused on getting more people outdoors and promoting the transformative power of nature.12
Background and Experience
Stacy Bare has a diverse background that includes:
- Military service as a veteran who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Georgia12
- Leadership roles in outdoor recreation and environmental organizations, including:
Achievements and Initiatives
Some of Bare's notable accomplishments include:
- Launching the Great Outdoors Lab study in partnership with UC Berkeley to research the impact of outdoor experiences on human health14
- Winning the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Award3
- Leading initiatives to expand outdoor recreation participation among youth, military members, and people of color1
Role at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
As Executive Director, Bare's responsibilities include:
- Working with the board of directors to raise $1.5 million for investing in Grand Rapids' park spaces and planting trees1
- Promoting outdoor recreation and encouraging more people to get outside2
- Overseeing various programs such as tree planting events and the Explore Your Park Series3
Personal
Stacy Bare relocated to Grand Rapids from Utah with his family in 2022.12 He enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, mountain biking, and Nordic skiing.1 Bare is passionate about making Grand Rapids the "healthiest, most park equitable city in America" by achieving 40% tree canopy and ensuring all residents live within 10 minutes of a park or open space.4
Highlights
I'm thrilled to be headed to Fresh Coast Film Festival next month to represent Champions in the Golden Valley--a film about the ski community in Afghanistan. I invited Ben Sturgulewski out to make a film in 2019. Following the pandemic and the fall of Afghanistan, he and Katie Stjernholm and a world class team finished the film and its been making the rounds in all the great film festivals! Stoked to represent the film for its Great Lakes / Michigan debut!
If you've been looking for an excuse to come visit Michigan, join me in the UP next month!
When I started Adventure Not War, how this film got going, I did not believe, even after living through experiences of conflict, combat, and clean-up, the dominant narratives being told about the places I had been.
I knew, and still believe, most people are good, nature is a force that connects us, and that the more we spend time outside, the more we'll find what unites us and speak to our better angels.
This film is that. Thanks Ben and Katie and team.
More evidenced based research that a healthy tree canopy and neighborhoods with shrubs may reduce the risk of heart disease! This is incredible--and reenforces what is already broadly known just not in a clinical trial setting about the powerful impact of trees in a city, suburb, or village. Call your local tree planting partners and get involved! Friends of Grand Rapids Parks will be hosting our major fall tree planting initiative, Neighborwoods, the last Friday and Saturday of September!
"Researchers at the University of Louisville designed a clinical trial that followed hundreds of people living in six low- to middle-income neighborhoods in South Louisville, Kentucky. They used blood and other samples to better understand how their heart risks changed before and after the team planted thousands of mature trees near their homes.
Results "...showed that people living in neighborhoods with twice as many trees and shrubs had lower levels of a blood marker associated with heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer compared with those who lived in more tree-bare neighborhoods."
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