National Get Outdoors Day

   The San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA) will host an event from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday, June 13, 2009, as part of National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day), the second annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.  Participating partners will offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities.  Prime goals of the day are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors.

   “We’re excited to offer a wide array of local outdoor activity partners and retailers to stage a day of healthy outdoor fun designed for all ages and physical conditioning,” said Sarah Miggins, SBNFA executive director, “in the process of connecting with our natural world, our participants will learn more about nutrition, training, mountain sports and navigation along with Big Bear Valley history and ecology.  We’ll end the day with a magical concert event in our outdoor Amphitheater featuring The Long Run performing the music of the Eagles.”  

   This GO Day event will offer active fun areas where guests, and especially kids, can learn canoeing and kayaking, fishing basics, geocaching and more.  A Fun Run starting at 11:30am is sponsored by California Multi-Sport and Run the Bear organizations designed for all ages, moms with strollers and families with dogs on a leash.  The course will be the Alpine Pedal Path, a flat asphalt path that wanders along the North Shore of Big Bear Lake. It is easily accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. Kids Sports News Network will sponsor inflatable fun for all ages on the giant slide and obstacle course.  Guided nature walks, gold panning and map and compass training will also be offered.  Daytime admission is free; however, some activities require a nominal fee; canoe and kayaking are fee-based tours.

   A highlight of GO Day will be the launch of the 7 Summits of Big Bear Youth Challenge featuring the first hike to one of Big Bear Valley’s highest summits, Bertha Peak, hosted by Jordan Romero, local youth mountaineer.  Although Jordan is on his way to climbing the world’s 7 summits, he wants to share his experiences with other youth along with tips about training, nutrition and goal setting in climbing the highest peaks Big Bear has to offer.  “Climbing the 7 Summits, I have learned so much about eating right, being healthy and the benefits of exercising in the outdoors,” says Jordan.  “I want other kids to feel what it’s like to set a goal and then stand on the top of that mountain.”  This event is aimed at 4th to 12th grade students at all levels of fitness and experience.  The hike will begin at 9:30 am and entails a 6.5 mile round trip, with a 1500 feet of elevation gain. Visit www.jordanromero.com for complete schedule and pre-registration.

   GO Day will end with sounds of one of California’s greatest rock bands, a tribute to the music of the Eagles performed by The Long Run.  Gates open at 5:30pm; concert at 7:00pm.  Tickets are available online at www.SBNFA.org, the Discovery Center Adventure Outpost and at the event gate.  Adult prices are $20; teens $10 (13-17) and kids 12 and under are free.   Proceeds benefit The Lighthouse Project’s Peace Gardens program and Forest Aid, a forest restoration partnership of the San Bernardino National Forest Association, U.S. Forest Service and LA-based TreePeople, restoring the burn areas from the 2003 and 2007 wildfires on the San Bernardino National Forest. 

About National Get Outdoors Day

   GO Day is an outgrowth of the Get Outdoors USA! campaign, which encourages Americans, especially our youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives while embracing our national forests, parks and other public lands and waters.   Working with the U.S. Forest Service, Get Outdoors USA hosted six recreation forums in early 2007 and learned that public lands were missing the right triggers to capture the attention of today’s youth.  The GO Day concept builds on the success of More Kids in the Woods and other important efforts to connect children with nature and active lifestyles.  The U.S. Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) led an inclusive, nationwide effort focusing on a single day where people would be inspired and motivated to get outdoors.  For more information, please visit www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.com and www.SBNFA.org for specific information on the Big Bear Discovery Center event.

About the SBNFA

   The San Bernardino National Forest Association is the primary non-profit partner to the U.S. Forest Service, which operates six programs to care for the San Bernardino National Forest.  The programs include Children’s Forest, Big Bear Discovery Center, Off Highway Vehicle Outreach Education, Forest Care, Fire Lookout Hosts, and the Urban Youth Conservation Corps.   For more information, or to help sponsor a program, please call Sarah Miggins at (909) 382-2796.

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