First Annual National Get Outdoors Day is June 14
The first-ever National Get Outdoors Day will be held Saturday, June 14. National Get Outdoors Day, which promotes the fun and value of time outdoors, is a signature event of “Great Outdoors Month,” the designation given annually to June by the White House and governors across the United States.
For the last two decades, Americans have turned indoors and to less physically active leisure pursuits. Visits to national parks and most other public recreation sites have declined and obesity has increased rapidly among the American people, with significant health consequences, including projections of life expectancy declines of 2-5 years for today’s youth. The USDA Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition have each pledged $100,000 to the inaugural National Get Outdoors Day in an effort to reconnect children and nature and to reverse these dangerous trends.
National Get Outdoors Day sites will be open to the general public, with a special outreach to local community segments that currently benefit less from the use of public lands and waters, including urban, economically disadvantaged and minority families. National Get Outdoors Day sites will include a welcome center to greet the public as they arrive and to direct them to appropriate displays and activities at the site. Each National Get Outdoors Day event will have a mix of information centers and “active fun” areas – places where guests, and especially kids, can use a fishing pole, go geocaching, help pitch a tent and more. The sites will offer photo opportunities with celebrities like Smokey Bear and other interesting attractions, including birds and reptiles.
In addition, each National Get Outdoors Day event will have a sign-up center for youth to become part of programs and organizations designed to strengthen their connection to the outdoors. Recruiting organizations will include the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the educational Web Ranger program. National Get Outdoors
Day sites will also provide Internet tips for discovering activities and places to enjoy the Great Outdoors.
“Local National Get Outdoors Day events will involve more than 75 organizations, including a hosting partner for each event. We are delighted by and grateful for the involvement and leadership of our hosting partner in Virginia, the Boy Scouts of America. BSA helps 3.2 million youth through Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and the co-ed Venturing program. Other National Get Outdoors Day sites will benefit from hosting partners ranging from city park agencies to the
USDA Forest Service to ski areas. Each event will be unique, but they will all share a common mission to connect people to the outdoors,” said Crandall.
Details on National Get Outdoors Day are available at www.getoutdoorsusa.org.
About Get Outdoors USA!
Get Outdoors USA! is a national movement dedicated to helping children live healthy, active outdoor lives. Through outdoor activity children receive benefits of mind, body and spirit and are able to experience the national treasures that belong to all Americans. The American Recreation Coalition launched Get Outdoors USA! in April 2007. More information about the organization is available at www.getoutdoorsusa.org
About American Recreation Coalition
American Recreation Coalition (ARC) is a Washington-based non-profit organization formed in 1979. Since its inception, ARC has sought to catalyze public/private partnerships to enhance and protect outdoor recreational opportunities and the resources upon which such experiences are based. ARC conducts research on a regular basis, organizes and conducts national conferences and meetings and disseminates information through a variety of newsletters, columns and other media regarding recreational needs and initiatives. ARC also monitors legislative and regulatory proposals that influence recreation and works with government agencies and the U.S. Congress to study public policy issues that will shape future recreational opportunities. For additional information visit: www.funoutdoors.com
posted June 2, 2008
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