Droughts are cooking the United States this year. For the first time since the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, more than half of the nation is classified as being in a drought, and in much of the designated drought areas—virtually the entire Heartland and the Southwest—these areas are identified as suffering serious or even extreme drought conditions. And don’t look for quick relief, either. A recent peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Climate Change projects that severe droughts could last for 20 years or longer. These long-term drought cycles will have long-lasting impacts on parks and recreation, in ways we don’t understand yet; but they are also producing an opportunity for public awareness, environmental education, and citizen conservation stewardship.

The impacts of drought are widespread and deeply affect the natural environment, but many of the effects are not always visible. Sure, we will see food prices rising sharply in direct proportion to this year’s drought in the grain-producing states, but we might not realize that local wildlife is deeply affected and suffers terribly from such droughts as well. While the media may focus on cities and towns drinking water supplies suddenly at risk, they give little attention to the non-tidal wetlands and ponds that dry up, wiping out local populations of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and other creatures dependent on these specialized environments.

Paradoxically, when rains finally do come, they are often highly destructive, causing severe erosion and harming natural systems more than they provide benefits to them. The extreme weather events that punctuate drought cycles are becoming more frequent, and rainstorms are often more violent and destructive than in previous years. Witness the “derecho” storms that hit the mid-Atlantic this summer and other unusual weather patterns that are now occurring with higher frequency.

Many park systems around the country previously took abundant water supplies for granted, but the harsh realities of this year’s drought as well as the increasing costs associated with providing clean water are causing park and recreation administrators to rethink their formerly profligate ways.

The good news is that many park agencies have been proactive in this regard. Grounds maintenance staff, golf course superintendents, and turf managers have often led the way regarding the implementation of water conservation technology. They are installing drip irrigation systems, recycling graywater, introducing highly efficient water conservation measures, and more. But natural resources managers and parks administrators are also catching on to the need to conserve water where it is found, and more importantly, to use water conservation efforts as an opportunity to inform and educate the public.

North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation Department installed interpretive signage to inform and educate the public wherever they are implementing water conservation measures— at recreational access points on drinking water reservoirs, in nature preserves, and even water conservation-themed signs above the waterless urinals in park restrooms.

Conservation Task Force member Gary Pruitt, director of the Hancock Park District in Findlay, Ohio, wrote up three examples of best conservation practices that any agency could implement at a very modest cost.

■Rain Garden: A rain garden is simply a planted depression that slows and filters rainwater runoff from impervious surfaces such as building roofs and parking lots. To demonstrate the benefits of creating sustainable landscapes that actively improve environmental quality and save funds, three agencies worked together to install a demonstration rain garden at the Ohio Agricultural Service Center in Hancock County, Ohio. The goal is to raise awareness and educate the community about the benefits of a rain garden and its practical application in managing stormwater runoff from impermeable surfaces. As a demonstration project, this rain garden serves as an excellent example of what can be done at low cost on public lands and home sites to reduce the negative effects of stormwater.

As added benefits, the rain garden creates a more permeable surface that drains water, reduces lawn maintenance, and adds beauty and wildlife habitat.

■Rain Barrel: The Hancock Park District acquired a 1,000-gallon rain barrel, purchased by their parks foundation, and located it under the eaves of the roof of the Richard S. “Doc” Phillips Discovery Center to collect rainwater draining off the roof, much like old-time cisterns used to do on farm houses of the 19th century. This large poly agricultural barrel was outfitted with a collector funnel with a removable screen for easy debris cleaning and a 90-degree handle spigot for direct water flow or hose usage. The on-demand flow of water from the rain barrel helps with animal upkeep, programs, and other site activities. A handwashing station and a hose for watering landscape plants as well as filling and cleaning the small landscape pond near the birdwatching station have all made use of the rain barrel’s water supply.

■Bioswale: A bioswale is simply a wide, shallow ditch lined with vegetation, rip rap stone, or mulch intended to slow the velocity of stormwater runoff, filter water while it is contained, and allow water to percolate into the ground or gently overflow if capacity is reached. Bioswales are a low-cost, low-tech form of bioretention structures used for treating surface runoff from parking lots and other impermeable surfaces. At the Doc Phillips Discovery Center of the Hancock Park District, stepping stones have been placed in the larger bioswales for the public and kids to walk through for the study and enjoyment of insects, amphibians, reptiles, aquatic ecology, plants, seeds, and seed dispersal mechanisms.

Droughts are creating significant challenges for park and recreation agencies, but they can also be an opportunity to engage and educate the public in conservation and stewardship of natural resources. Employing these simple techniques—and explaining them through signage and educational programs—can allow the public to see water conservation with new eyes and in ways that they can take home to use in their own backyards.

Richard. J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President for Conservation and Parks.