The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association have named Tennessee State Parks the best in the U.S. [1] Tennessee was recently awarded the 2007 Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The other two finalists were Georgia and Utah. Among Tennessee's accomplishments since 2003: • Reopening 14 parks that had been previously closed; • Removing access fees from the 23 state parks that had instituted them; • Acquiring properties with exceptional conservation value from Bowater; • Partnering with the Nature Conservancy and conservation-minded timber companies to protect 124,000 acres on the Northern Cumberland Plateau; • Working with community organizations and other partners to open the first Boundless Playground at a state park anywhere in the country at Warriors’ Path State Park; • Purchasing renewable “Green Power” in all state parks where it’s available. A panel of parks and recreation professionals judged state park programs on "long-range planning, resource management, citizen support systems, environmental stewardship, program and professional development and agency recognition."