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Pasted below is a News Release issued today by the American Recreation Coalition. It speaks of those special lures now being used by the motorized recreation industry and their federal partners to attract additional customers and to hook 'em on powerboating, houseboating, recreation trailers, ATVs and all those other marvelous products, goods and services that make spending time (and money) in the Great Outdoors so valuable --- or is that 'profitable'?
In sharing this News Release I run the risk that some people will actually buy into these cleverly targeted Public Relations efforts. I run the risk well-meaning people simply don't know the first thing about these anti-environmental, motorized wreckreation industry players and their motives and will thus accept this News Release at face value.
I run the risk of being called an "extremist" by my usual opponents and by those of my peers who are supporting the industry's 'More Kids in the Woods' campaign and by fellow conservationists who are piggy-backing upon the Nature Deficiency Disorder / Couch Potato Kids / Declining Visitation mania with campaigns of their own -- campaigns that offer kids a different alternative than the motorized techno-gadgetry being hyped by the ARC. These campaigns do not so much compete with the ARC as amplify the effectiveness of the ARC's master campaign --- or so I suggest.
I am prepared to take risks in my ongoing efforts to convince my peers to start calling BS on the industry's anti-environmental efforts.
Either the conservation community joins with Wild Wilderness in speaking out, or the Great Outdoors will, as I have long warned, be radically transformed to accommodate the commercialized, privatized and motorized special interest groups and corporation who sponsored this event and who pull the strings of the land management agencies.
Scott
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Outdoor Recreation Village Unites Many to Get Kids Off Couches and Into the Great Outdoors
News Releases Posted on Tue, 02/12/2008
Washington, DC (February 12, 2008) More than 40 organizations formed a
unique team of outdoor advocates to help tens of thousands of visitors
to Glendale, Arizona, drawn by Super Bowl XLII, discover healthy fun in
the Great Outdoors. For four days, the organizations produced the
first-ever Outdoor Recreation Village at one of the world’s top media
events and used the Village as a platform to announce new initiatives
to connect all Americans, and especially American youth, to the
nation’s wonderful array of parks, forests, refuges and other public
lands and waters.
In addition to the public, the Outdoor Recreation Village located at
the Westgate City Center, drew distinguished visitors ranging from NFL
Legend Mike Ditka to Smokey Bear. The Village included a mix of active
fun and valuable information sources. Kids scampered up a 25-foot- tall
climbing wall and fished in a 60-foot pond stocked with 800 rainbow
trout. Professional anglers gave casting demonstrations and lessons.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission hosted a laser shooting range to
introduce hunting safety and fun. Youth climbed into tents at the
WOW-Wonderful Outdoor World campsite and used binoculars at the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service site to spot pictures of birds, snakes and
animals posted around a large tent hosting interactive exhibit centers
operated by federal, state and non-governmental entities. Visitors to
the National Park Service site in the Get Outdoors Technology section
signed on as Web Rangers and learned about a brand new interpretive
tool, the Pocket Ranger, developed in partnership by Apple Inc.,
LightSpeed Technologies and the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area. USA Freedom Corps led the Get Outdoors Initiatives
team, highlighting its Arizona AmeriCorps efforts on public lands
across the state and the programs of Take Pride in America.
In the Get Outdoors Opportunities section, three partners teamed up to
demonstrate the power of the Internet in finding things to do and great
places to do them on public waters managed by the Bureau of Reclamation
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Recreational Boating and
Fishing Foundation joined in, showing off its new national database on
great boating and fishing places and its efforts to encourage outdoor
fun, including its Anglers’ Legacy program and TV messages. Also in the
Opportunities neighborhood was a joint Bureau of Land Management/Forest
Service center with information on camping, trails and much more.
Additional information was provided by Utah and Arizona State Parks
agency personnel and the Good Sam Club.
Special lures for visitors included: a luxurious 75-foot houseboat
available for rental at Lake Mead and Lake Powell by National Park
Service concessioner Forever Resorts; an Airstream trailer, which will
be the operations center for Get Outdoors USA! for its new National Get
Outdoors Day campaign; and an exhibit of ATVs, mountain bikes and even
an Arizona Game and Fish Commission Hummer! Bass Pro Shops, which
sponsored the climbing wall, fishing pond and laser tent, also provided
a large display of native animals and new outdoor technologies,
including handheld GPS units used for geocaching and other fun
activities.
Numerous performances and events occurred at the Village center stage –
a dock attached to the houseboat. On Friday, Interior Assistant
Secretary Lyle Laverty, Agriculture Under Secretary Mark Rey and USA
Freedom Corps Deputy Director Alison Young outlined key federal
initiatives underway to reverse a decline in public lands visitations –
visits that yield important physical, mental and spiritual benefits at
minimal cost. The Washington visitors also were featured in the NFL
Parade that toured the Westgate City Center site – joined by four
public lands characters: Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl of the USDA Forest
Service; Puddles, the Blue Goose of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
and Bobber, the mascot of the U.S Army Corp of Engineers’ (USACE) water
safety program. The characters were such a hit that they were recalled
for a repeat participation in the Saturday evening parade.
Other on-stage performances included pro angler Clay Dyer, national
spokesperson for C.A.S.T. for Kids, and USACE water safety training
sessions. In addition, the stage was used for autograph sessions by the
Gridiron Greats, more than 75 NFL retirees who provide financial
assistance and coordination of social services for retired NFL players.
The Gridiron Greats appearing on the Outdoor Recreation Village stage
were Mike Ditka and Merlin Olson.
A great deal of emphasis was placed on making the Village
environmentally responsible, with limited distribution of paper.
Participants instead linked websites and other sources of information
to the www.getoutdoorsusa.org website. Hundreds of youth who posed for
photographs taken with Smokey and other celebrities will receive their
pictures via email – along with a link to the new info-packed website.
The Village concept was developed by Forever Resorts at the invitation
of the Super Bowl host committee. Forever Resorts provided overall
coordination, with additional coordination provided by the American
Recreation Coalition.
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