Nature Play QLD of Queensland, Australia, has a vision of  unstructured outdoor play becoming a normal part of every child’s life, so that they can develop into resilient, healthy and creative members of the community.  That vision embodies a lot of research on the topic that applies in many countries and seems to be using the […]

Many of us need an excuse to get outdoors and be active and many times that excuse needs to be altruistic.  Sometimes the altruistic motive is all it takes.  Perhaps the opportunity to volunteer to clear a trail on National Trails Day or help with some other kind of project on National Public Lands Day […]

    The profile of cairns rose recently when Arches National Park posting the following on their Facebook page: “Cairns may look like whimsical rock sculptures, but they are actually important way-finding tools built by rangers to facilitate navigation of park trails. Visitor-built cairns can lead people off-trail, damage biological soil crust, and cause visual clutter. […]

The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PLTA) says: “Unstructured, frequent childhood play in informal outdoor settings powerfully boosts the cognitive, creative, physical, social and emotional development of children. It also engenders deep conservation values; more so than any other factor.”  Continuing research is supporting this statement. In an effort to explain the idea further and to […]

Basis of The Isaac Walton League As the author of The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton’s (1594-1683) name is synonymous with fishing.  He thus became the perfect namesake for The Isaac Walton League, an association originally formed to preserve fishing opportunities for future generations. The group was founded in Chicago in 1922 and by 1924 had […]

After surveying 2000 parents across the United Kingdom, adventure blog Go Ape decided that the current generation of kids should be called the “Closeted Generation” because they are spending too much time indoors in front of a screen.  They found that 22% of parents put their kids in front of a screen “because its easier” even though […]

Top 10 Lists There is no correct list of the 10 best National Parks and monuments in the U.S. Everyone that is familiar with them has their favorite and rightly so. Your knowledge from visiting some parks, or just reading about them, informs your list and it’s your experience that counts. Nonetheless, various organizations have […]

The Mission of 21CSC The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men as part of the New Deal. Originally for young men ages 18–23, it was eventually expanded to young men ages 17–28. Since the days of the CCC, […]

SCORP The title is a mouth full, but Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans (SCORP) are a critical component in getting you the outdoor recreation opportunities you enjoy so much.  All of the states have a SCORP and update them every five years.  The driver behind the SCORP is funding for recreation projects through the Federal Land […]

If you are looking to combine hiking with some citizen science, Jasper National Park in Canada, is offering an interesting option. The Park is seeking volunteers to help with the first year of a pilot project to sample and analyze the DNA of black and grizzly bears in the park. Samples are taken from bear […]