Editing South Bend, Indiana (section)

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:South-Bend-East-Race.jpg|left|thumb|Rafters enjoying the East Race in South Bend, Indiana]]
South Bend Parks and Recreation department operates over 50 parks, golf courses, and recreational areas throughout the city.<ref name="Rec">{{cite web |title=List of Parks |url=http://sbpark.org/parks/parks.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929181851/http://sbpark.org/parks/parks.htm |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |access-date=January 16, 2008 |website=South Bend Parks and Recreation Website}}</ref> Notable parks include Rum Village Park, which has a disc golf course, mountain bike trails, hiking trails, and a nature center,<ref name="Rum">{{cite web |title=Rum Village Park |url=http://sbpark.org/parks/rum-village-park/ |access-date=June 23, 2015 |website=South Bend Parks and Recreation Website}}</ref> and Potawatomi Park, which has the region's largest Universally Accessible Playground and an outdoors Performance Arts Pavilion and viewing area.<ref name="Area">{{cite web |title=Potawatomi Park |url=http://sbpark.org/parks/potawatomi-park/ |access-date=June 23, 2015 |website=South Bend Parks and Recreation Website}}</ref>

South Bend's first zoo was located at Leeper Park from 1902 until 1914. The present zoo at Potawatomi Park began in 1921 when Albert R. Erskine, the president of the Studebaker Corporation, donated a single deer as the start of the zoo. The [[Potawatomi Zoo]] is the second oldest zoo in Indiana. It features more than 400 animals in its {{convert|23|acre|m2}}. The zoo is now operated by the Potawatomi Zoological Society.

Near the Potawatomi Zoo are the [[Potawatomi Conservatories|Potawatomi Greenhouses and the Ella Morris and Muessel-Ellison Botanical Conservatories]]. The greenhouses were originally constructed in the 1920s, with the conservatories added in the 1960s.<ref name="greenhouse">{{cite web |title=South Bend Conservatory |url=http://sbpark.org/conservatory/conservatory.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715104048/http://sbpark.org/conservatory/conservatory.html |archive-date=July 15, 2007 |access-date=July 13, 2010 |website=City of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts}}</ref> In 2007, the greenhouses and conservatories were in danger of closing due to increased operating costs, but a campaign by the Botanical Society of South Bend was able to raise funds to keep the facilities operating.<ref name="erace">{{cite web|website=South Bend Parks and Recreation Website|url=http://www.sbpark.org/parks/erace.htm|title=East Race Waterway|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214003742/http://sbpark.org/parks/erace.htm |archive-date=February 14, 2006 |access-date=January 16, 2008}}</ref>

The city is home to the [[East Race Waterway]], which is used for boating and water sports (see above).<ref name="erace" />

While developing the 2006 City Plan, the city's 20-year comprehensive plan, citizens said the encouragement of bicycling as a form of alternative transportation was a top priority. In 2010, South Bend became one of 303 communities in the United States to be recognized as a "Bicycle-Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists due to the city's "remarkable commitments to bicycling.<ref name="bike">"[http://ci.south-bend.in.us/sites/default/files/files/dci/CI_BicycleFriendly.pdf South Bend Bikeway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623231158/http://ci.south-bend.in.us/sites/default/files/files/dci/CI_BicycleFriendly.pdf |date=June 23, 2015 }}." Retrieved on June 23, 2015.</ref> The city has developed a long-term plan for building a {{Convert|116|mi|km|adj=on}} South Bend Bikeway network. {{As of|2014|alt=As of late 2014}}, {{Convert|66.8|mi|km}} of bicycle routes have been established, including {{Convert|17.4|mi|km}} of multipurpose paths separated from streets, {{Convert|17.0|mi|km}} of striped bike lanes, and {{Convert|32.4|mi|km}} of on-street routes bearing other designations.<ref name="southbike">"[http://ci.south-bend.in.us/residents/content/bike-south-bend Bike South Bend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623231500/http://ci.south-bend.in.us/residents/content/bike-south-bend |date=June 23, 2015 }}." Retrieved on June 23, 2015.</ref>
The area is also served by the St. Joseph County Parks Dept, which maintains eight different parks and recreation areas. The Parks department serves the metro area and is headed by a permanent staff and an appointed board.