We are delighted to report that President Obama and all 50 of America's governors have proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month! This year we have particular cause for celebration, as 2010 is the first year in which all 50 states and the Mayor of the District of Columbia have issued proclamations for Great Outdoors Month.

The proclamations, requested by a coalition of outdoor recreation and conservation organizations, celebrate the many special events held during June, including National Trails Day(r), National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day, National Marina Day and the Great American Backyard Campout, and the benefits of time outdoors to the health of Americans, young and old.

	Derrick Crandall receiving the 2005 Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award

President Obama's proclamation states, "America's vast and varied outdoor spaces are a source of great national pride, and we have long strived to protect them for future generations. Our lands provide countless opportunities for exploration, recreation, and reflection, whether in solitude or with family and friends. During Great Outdoors Month, we renew our enduring commitment to protect our natural landscapes, to enjoy them and to promote active lifestyles for ourselves and our children." Referring to America's great outdoor spaces, the proclamation goes on to say, "These places are especially important today, as an increasing number of Americans, especially children, fall into unhealthy sedentary lifestyles."

The proclamation highlights current Administration efforts to get Americans healthier through outdoor activity, like the recently launched America's Great Outdoors Initiative to protect natural landscapes and reconnect Americans to the outdoors, and the First Lady's Let's Move effort to help children eat more nutritious foods, lead healthier lives, and increase their physical activity. More information on these initiatives is available at: www.DOI.gov/AmericasGreatOutdoors and www.LetsMove.gov.

The gubernatorial Great Outdoors Month proclamations began four years ago, but 2010 marks the first year proclamations have been issued in all 50 states. While the state proclamations vary in emphasis and reflect key state features, most praise volunteerism, the power of outdoor recreation to contribute to happier, healthier lifestyles, and the legacy of parks and public lands and waters.

The Presidential and state proclamations are available at www.funoutdoors.com/node/view/2486.

Great Outdoors Week Background

Each June since 1996, hundreds of leaders of America's recreation community have gathered in Washington, D.C., to take part in meetings and events designed to:

• Increase the visibility of outdoor recreation on the national policy-making level
• Heighten the understanding and appreciation ofrecreation's importance to the nation's health, economy and quality of life
• Provide an opportunity to highlight key recreation policy initiatives and programs
• Recognize outstanding leadership on behalf of outdoor recreation
• Support the efforts of the American Recreation Coalition

Participants include:

• Corporate CEOs
• Volunteers for nonprofit organizations
• Federal and state agency officials
• Journalists
• Elected officials
• Recreation facility operators, drawn from across the nation.
  

Topics of discussion range from the link between recreation and health to the need for increased public-land volunteerism, from partnerships and other tools to enhance recreation resources to building connections between urban children and the outdoors, from enhancing access to outdoor recreation opportunities to the designation of a nation commission on recreation policy.

Great Outdoor Week enjoys annual Presidential recognition through proclamations and messages and includes meetings with members of the President's Cabinet and Members of Congress.

For more information visit the American Recreation Coalition