Washington, D.C. - Outstanding efforts by five federal agencies and partners in harnessing the power of technology to improve public recreation experiences and federal recreation program management will be recognized with the 2006 Beacon Awards at the opening ceremony of Great Outdoors Week. Seven Beacon Awards will be presented on Monday, June 12 at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

(Washington, D.C.) - Great Outdoors Week 2006, June 12 -17, will highlight efforts underway to enhance outdoor recreation for all Americans in the 21st century. Volunteerism, public-private partnerships, improving health through recreation, ensuring strong recreational trails and scenic byways programs and more are topics to be addressed in a series of forums throughout the week.

Great Outdoors Week will again be coordinated by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) and will include events hosted by more than a dozen federal agencies and national organizations. Public/private cooperative ventures – like Take Pride in America – will be highlighted, along with presentations of key awards, including the 18th annual Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award, ARC’s Legends Awards to outstanding federal recreation program officials and best practices awards by the Coalition for Recreational Trails. The second annual Beacon Awards, recognizing innovative uses of technology in visitor services and recreation management on federal lands, will also be presented.

Great Outdoors Week 2005

Washington, D.C. - Great Outdoors Week 2005 brought together hundreds of leaders from the outdoor recreation community for meetings, discussion and celebrations of significant achievements. Strengthening the link between outdoor recreation and health was central to the week’s proceedings. The need for a comprehensive look at recreation policies and programs was stressed to better recreation not only now but also the foreseeable future. “Important progress has occurred, and needs to continue in crafting a new blueprint for recreation in the 21st century and in emphasizing the ties between key societal issues and recreation,” said American Recreation Coalition (ARC) President Derrick Crandall.

Great Outdoors Week is the highlight of Great Outdoors Month, a month-long celebration of outdoor recreation, which also features events such as National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, and National Clean Beaches Week. For the second consecutive year, Great Outdoors Month was designated by a Presidential Proclamation extolling the virtues of outdoor recreation and volunteerism. President George W. Bush noted that “outdoor recreation provides an opportunity to enjoy the splendor of our Nation’s remarkable natural treasures and reminds us of our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment.” The full proclamation is attached.

JUNE IS GREAT OUTDOORS MONTH

Washington, D.C. - President George W. Bush has proclaimed June 2005 as Great Outdoors Month, citing the public’s shared legacy of parks, forests, refuges and other places and calling for both enjoyment and protection of these special places. He also noted the special efforts of public lands volunteers. The proclamation was issued on June 1 and says, in part:

Americans are blessed by our country's expansive landscapes, diverse wildlife, and beautiful public lands. Outdoor recreation provides an opportunity to enjoy the splendor of our Nation's remarkable natural treasures and reminds us of our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. Across our great Nation, Americans are taking that responsibility seriously and volunteering to help keep our natural areas beautiful for future generations. I commend these citizens for helping to protect our public lands, and I encourage all Americans to do their part. The Department of the Interior's Take Pride in America website and the USA Freedom Corps website offer examples of ways to participate in environmental stewardship projects.

NEWS
Contact: Catherine Ahern

Coalition for Recreational Trails Announces “2005 Annual Achievement Awards” Winners

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) has selected the winners of its sixth “Annual Achievement Awards” in recognition of their outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds. The awards were presented at a special Capitol Hill ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 2005 as part of the celebration of Great Outdoors Week.

The trail projects and programs honored by the CRT are as follows:

• Kerby Peak Trail - Oregon – for Maintenance and Rehabilitation [Photo] [Info]
• River Bluff Trail – Indiana – for Construction and Design/Nonmotorized [Photo] [Info]
• Red Creek Bridge – Michigan – for Construction and Design/Motorized [Photo] [Info]
• MKT Trail– Missouri – for Construction and Design/Trail-Related Facilities [Photo] [Info]
• Johnson Camp Trail – California – for Multiple Use Management and Corridor Sharing [Info]
• Cascade Trail– Maryland – for Environmental Compatibility [Photo] [Info]
• North Slope Trailer – Wyoming/Utah – for Education and Communication [Photo] [Info]
• Trail Access Information for Northern Nevada – for Accessibility Enhancement [Photo] [Info]
• Superior Hiking Trail – Minnesota – for Use of Youth and Service Corps [Photo] [Info]

NEWS
Contact: Derrick Crandall

ARC ANNOUNCES INITIAL BEACON AWARD WINNERS

Washington, D.C. - The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) announced a new awards program – the Beacon Award – during Great Outdoors Week (June 6-10, 2005) to recognize innovative use of technology in visitor services and recreation management and awarded two inaugural Beacon Awards to efforts showcased at the Week’s Recreation Policy Forum. “We are delighted to honor teams from the Forest Service and the National Park Service who are showing us how much improvement technology can bring to enhancing visits to the Great Outdoors. In both cases, men and women with a passion for making the outdoors fun and safe – and for protecting our Great Outdoors – have applied technology to accomplish better results than traditional brochures and signs. And best of all, better communications can actually be more economical, too,” said ARC President Derrick Crandall.

News
Contact: Derrick Crandall

ARC SALUTES LEGENDS AWARD WINNERS

Washington, D.C. - The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) presented its 2005 Legends Awards to seven outstanding federal managers at a special ceremony held during Great Outdoors Week (June 6-10, 2005). “These exceptional individuals have made important contributions to outdoor recreation all across the country,” said ARC President Derrick Crandall, “and we are honored to showcase them and their work today.” ARC presents its Legends Awards annually in recognition of the recipients’ successful efforts to enhance outdoor recreation facilities, resources and experiences. Honorees are nominated by seven federal agencies: USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Federal Highway Administration.

Recipients of the 2005 Legends Awards are:

• Dave Killebrew, Recreation Planner on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona;
• A. Durand Jones, Special Assistant to the Director of the National Park Service;
• Ray Hanson, Outdoor Recreation Planner in the Bureau of Land Management’s Lander, Wyoming Field Office;
• Jim Jensen, Landscape Architect in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Provo, Utah, Area Office;
• Richard Gilbert, Manager of the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona;
• Michael Miller, Chief of the Operations Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock District; and
• Janice Thompson, Civil Rights and Special Programs Coordinator for the Iowa Division of the Federal Highway Administration.

NEWS

Contact: Derrick Crandall

GREAT OUTDOORS WEEK 2005 WILL FOCUS ON PROPOSED RECREATION POLICY ACT AND NATIONAL RECREATION STRATEGY

Click here to see the latest agenda

Washington, D.C. - Great Outdoors Week 2005 – June 5 -11 – will highlight efforts underway to enact a new national recreation policy act designed to enhance outdoor recreation’s contributions to Americans’ health and quality of life. The legislation also calls for a new National Recreation Strategy that responds to changing and growing demands for quality recreation on federally-managed lands and waters – areas that cover one-third of the nation’s surface.

GREAT OUTDOORS WEEK RECREATION EXCHANGE

Special Guest:

The Honorable Mike Johanns
Secretary of Agriculture

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, June 8, 2005; 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m.

NOTE LOCATION!! PLACE: Patio, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Jamie L. Whitten Building, please enter at 12th Ave. and Jefferson Drive, SW

COST: $50 per person for non-Recreation Exchange subscribers

RSVP: By noon on Friday, June 3 (202-682-9530 or rsvp@funoutdoors.com)

Please Join Us For

A Special Great Outdoors Week Listening Session on

The New America the Beautiful Pass and Proposed Recreation Advisory Committees

and

Great Outdoors Week's Recreation Policy Forum on Technology and Transportation

When: Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Time: American the Beautiful Pass Listening Session: 8:00 – 9:15 am
Recreation Policy Forum on Technology and Transportation: 9:30 – 11:15 am

Where: U.S. Department of the Interior
Room 5160 (Secretary’s Conference Room)
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C.

RSVP: RSVP@funoutdoors.com or call (202) 682-9530 by noon on June 6