Forest Service Chief Invites Public Participation in National Get Outdoors Day
Nationwide, many Forest Service locations will provide free recreational and educational activities. Some events are specifically designed to better engage urban and multicultural youth in nature-based activities, as well as attract first-time visitors to public lands. Dozens of unique events on national forests and grasslands will feature opportunities including camping, rock wall climbing, kayaking, biking and archery.
June is Great Outdoors Month, and Chief Tidwell invites all Americans to join the Forest Service and its many partner organizations in getting out and exploring all types of recreational activities throughout the month.
“GO Day helps American families discover opportunities for healthy, active outdoor fun close
to home,” said American Recreation Coalition President Derrick Crandall. “It also builds upon other Great Outdoors Month events like the Capital Campouts hosted by Governors across the country, National Fishing and Boating Week and National Trails Day. Some 15,000 GO Day events and activities will involve more than a million people this year.”
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
opportunities that exist in The Sierra Mountains. From Lassen Volcanic National Park to
the North down through the Central Sierra and the Lake Tahoe Basin through the
rugged eastern slopes of the Mono county and Yosemite National park to the southern
tips near Sequoia National Park and the PCT trail. We invite you to share stories, trips
and photos from your adventures in the Sierra. Please join us on Facebook, Twitter
Google + and YouTube or email us your events and photos at sierrarecinfo@gmail.com #goexplore