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The American Recreation Coalition and the Forest Service have partnered up yet again. As part of ARC's upcoming Great Outdoors Lobby Week, on June 14th in Washington DC they will launch "National Get Outdoors Day". Many will see only the mask.
So let me be plain about this. Public lands recreation policy was captured by the ARC in the early 90s and the USFS dances to the industry's drum beat. The ARC is anathema to the cause of Wild Wilderness and our respect for the USFS is at a nadir. This new public-private campaign puts a smiley-faced mask in front of ARC's ugly face. I'm asking people to look behind the mask.
National Get Outdoors Day is the latest PR campaign of an unholy public-private alliance. The mission of the campaign has little to do with its stated purpose.
During Great Outdoors Week, ARC's wreckreation lobbyists will push their commercialization, privatization, motorization agenda. They will bestow honors upon federal employees who have served them unusually well. This year's recipient of their highest honor will be Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.
Now with that introduction, please browse the list of organizations that have lined up in support National Get Outdoors Day (see below). On it you will find several of ARC's closest allies such as National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, Americans for Responsible Recreational Access, Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, ReserveAmerica, National Ski Areas Association and Tread Lightly. You will also find the names of all of this nation's federal public land management agencies.
You will also find on this same list the names of organizations not normally associated with anti-environmental causes. Have some these organizations made a mistake? Or are some of us possibly mistaken in our own estimation of some of these groups??
Scott
PS... I encourage people to go to the official National Get Outdoors
Day website and to click upon the link at the bottom of the page — the link which says
"Brought to you by..."
--- begin quoted ---
http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/about/
Seeking 100 Sites and Diverse Partnerships
Participants from dozens of federal agencies and non-profit
organizations and the recreation industry gathered in Washington to
launch National Get Outdoors Day, a new annual event to encourage
healthy, active outdoor fun. On June 14, 2008, and each June
thereafter, these partners will offer sites 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.
Earlier this month, the USDA Forest Service (FS) and the American
Recreation Coalition (ARC) jointly outlined plans for National Get
Outdoors Day at the Outdoor Recreation Village at this year’s Super
Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. ARC President Derrick Crandall opened the
National Get Outdoors Day Coalition meeting with a video about the
Village, which drew an estimated 100,000 visitors. He noted that the
Outdoor Recreation Village served as a testing ground for the National
Get Outdoors Day concept. “We have a Super Bowl quality team in place.
We may not know all the plays yet, but we have excellent talent. We can
win back the hearts and minds of American kids to the Great Outdoors,”
said Crandall.
National Get Outdoors Day is an outgrowth of the Get Outdoors USA!
campaign, which encourages Americans, especially our youth, to seek out
healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges
and other public lands and waters. Working with the FS, Get Outdoors
USA! hosted six recreation forums and learned that public lands were
missing the right triggers to capture the attention of today’s youth.
ARC and the FS have each pledged $100,000 to the initial National Get
Outdoors Day effort.
Jacqueline Emanuel of the FS emphasized her organization’s goal to
reach the under- served public and first -time outdoor recreationists
through new and diverse partners. FS Director of Recreation, Heritage
and Volunteers Jim Bedwell echoed Ms. Emanuel’s comments, “We are all
in this together. It is important that National Get Outdoors Day is not
just the Forest Service, but all of the federal agencies.” Participants
were invited to join the National Coordinating Committee and to take
part in one or more of the initial action task forces: Site
Identification; Partner Recruitment; Communications; and Event Support.
http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/about/partners/
National Get Outdoors Day
Coordinators
American Recreation Coalition
http://www.funoutdoors.com/
U.S. Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us/
National Get Outdoors Day
Charter Champions
America's Byways Resource Center
http://www.bywaysresourcecenter.org/
Clif Bar
http://www.clifbar.com/
National Marine Manufacturers Association
http://www.nmma.org/
Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association
http://www.prvca.org/
The Coleman Company
http://www.coleman.com/
National Get Outdoors Day
Partners
AAA
http://www.aaa.com/
Airstream
http://www.airstream.com/
Allegheny Outdoor Club
http://www.alleghenyoutdoorclub.org/
Allstate Specialty Product Lines
http://www.allstate.com/
American Camping Association
http://www.acacamps.org/
American Hiking Society
http://www.americanhiking.org/
American Horse Council
http://www.horsecouncil.org/
American Land and Leisure
http://www.americanll.com/
American Quarterhorse Association
http://www.aqha.com/
American Rivers
http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer
Americans for Responsible Access
http://www.arra-access.com/arra/home.html
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
http://www.fishwildlife.org/
Association of Nature Center Administrators
http://www.natctr.org/
Bass Pro Shops
http://www.basspro.com/
Best Outdoor Activities Magazine
http://www.boa-magazine.com/update.asp?id=94
Boy Scouts of America
http://www.scouting.org/
Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation.1.html
Bureau of Reclamation
http://www.usbr.gov/
C.A.S.T. for Kids
http://www.castforkids.org/
Cabella's
http://www.cabelas.com/
California Land Management
http://www.clm-services.com/html/clm.html
California RV Dealers
http://www.californiarvdealers.com/
Camp Fire USA
http://www.campfire.org/start.asp
Chicago Wilderness
http://www.chicagowilderness.org/
City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
http://www.laparks.org/
City of Thornton/ Thornton, Colorado
http://www.cityofthornton.net/
Dillon Nature Center
http://www.naturalkansas.org/dillon.htm
Discover Boating
http://www.discoverboating.com/
Forever Resorts
http://www.foreverresorts.com/
Get Outdoors Georgia, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
http://www.gastateparks.org/
Girl Scouts of America
http://www.girlscouts.org/
Good Sam Club
http://www.goodsamclub.com/
Groundspeak, Inc.
http://www.groundspeak.com/
Idaho Division of Tourism Development
http://www.visitidaho.org/
International Mountain Biking Association
http://www.imba.com/
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/
Kids Outdoors Magazine
http://www.whisperinthewoods.com/
KOA, Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
http://www.koa.com/
Leave No Trace
http://www.lnt.org/
Louisiana State Parks
http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/
Maine Department of Conservation
http://www.maine.gov/doc/index.shtml
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/
National Association of State Park Directors
http://www.naspd.org/
National Forest Foundation
http://www.natlforests.org/
National Forest Recreation Association
http://nfra.org/default.aspx
National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council
http://www.nohvcc.org/
National Outdoor Leadership School
http://www.nols.edu/
National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/
National Recreation and Parks Association
http://www.nrpa.org
National Resources Conservation Service
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
National Ski Areas Association
http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/home/
National Wildlife Federation
http://www.nwf.org/
National Youth Marine Alliance
http://goblue4kids.org/
Nevada Division of State Parks
http://parks.nv.gov/
Outdoor Alliance
http://www.outdooralliance.net/
Outdoor Industry Association
http://www.outdoorindustry.org/
Outward Bound Wilderness
http://www.outwardboundwilderness.org/
Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators
http://www.paee.net/
Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education
http://www.pcee.org/
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and State Parks
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/outdooradventures.aspx
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
http://www.fitness.gov/
Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association
http://www.rvda.org/am/Template.cfm?Section=Home1
Recreation Vehicle Industry Association
http://www.rvia.org/
Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
http://www.rbff.org/
REI
http://www.rei.com/
Reines RV
http://www.reinesrv.com/
ReserveAmerica
http://www.reserveamerica.com/
Roots & Shoots
http://www.rootsandshoots.org/
Salt River Tubing & Recreation
http://www.saltrivertubing.com/
San Bernardino National Forest Association
http://www.sbnfa.org/
Schrader Environmental Education Center
http://www.oionline.com/environmentaleducation/
Seaway Trails, Inc.
http://www.seawaytrail.com/05_index.asp
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
http://www.snowbird.com/
Take Pride in America
http://www.takepride.gov/
TengoInternet
http://www.tengointernet.com/
The Corps Network
http://www.corpsnetwork.org/
The Henry Ford
http://www.hfmgv.org/
Thor Industries
http://www.thorindustries.com/
TOUR of the Red River Gorge
http://www.cyclethegorge.com/
Tread Lightly!
http://www.treadlightly.org/
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
http://www.usace.army.mil/recreation/
U.S. Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.gov/
U.S. Department of the Interior
http://www.doi.gov/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/
USA Freedom Corps
http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/
W.O.W. Wonderful Outdoor World
http://www.wownational.org/
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- Land management 
