FMCA NEWS RELEASE
August 4, 2004

Contact: FMCA Robbin Gould or Pamela Kay, 1-800-543-3622 or 513-474-3622
As of August 14, Robbin Gould, 541-504-2249

U.S. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO VISIT MOTORHOME OWNERS CONVENTION IN REDMOND, OREGON

REDMOND, Oregon -- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton will speak to motorhome enthusiasts attending the 72nd International Convention of the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) in Redmond, Oregon, on Thursday, August 19. FMCA is an international motorhome owners group headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The association's convention will take place at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond from August 16 through 19.

USDA NEWS RELEASE
USACE NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623 (USDA)
Joan Moody (202) 208-6416 (DOI)
David Hewitt (202) 761-4826 (USACE)

PUBLIC TO BENEFIT FROM SINGLE RESERVATION SERVICE

E-Gov Initiative will Provide One-Stop for Campgrounds/Recreation Reservations

WASHINGTON, August 9, 2004 –- The United States Department of Agriculture today announced the award of a contract to provide a single, interagency federal recreation information and reservation service called the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS).

The three and a half-year, performance-based contract with a total potential value of $128 million was awarded to ReserveAmerica of Ballston Spa, N.Y. The contract provides for additional option periods for a total contract period not to exceed 10 years. The Forest Service conducted a full and open competition for the award of the new contract. The new contract will consolidate and expand the existing federal reservation services and agencies may add other sites that are currently individually reserved at the local level. It will begin operating in late 2004.

NEWS

Contact: Derrick Crandall

Interior Department Solicitor Meets with Recreation Community

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s newly named Solicitor recently met with recreation community leaders at the American Recreation Coalition’s July Recreation Exchange. Sue Ellen Wooldridge was named to her position by President Bush effective June 1, 2004. As head of the office that is responsible for providing legal advice to the Secretary of the Interior and to the Interior Department’s agencies and offices, she was frank about the challenges inherent in formulating a unified legal position for a department that contains such disparate entities as the Fish and Wildlife Service, with its threatened and endangered species role, and the Bureau of Reclamation, which is largely responsible for generating power and delivering water to agricultural customers.

FIGHT FAT WITH FUN™

Washington D.C. -- (July 29, 2004) White House Fellow Dr. Michael Suk and PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Curt Cornelssen spoke to a room filled with Congressional staffers about the opportunities to Fight Fat with Fun™ - using recreation as a means to attack the surge in obesity. The statistics are daunting: 400,000 premature deaths annually; $100 billion in additional annual medical costs, much of which is paid by government programs; youths who prefer to be online rather than outdoors. Dr. Suk spoke of the great opportunities to reach millions through recreation on federally managed lands and waters, unveiling the new Get Fit With US! efforts of the federal agencies. Mr. Cornelssen shared case studies demonstrating that employers ranging from Caesar's to Union Pacific have found economic gain from attacking low levels of physical activity by their workforces. And Derrick Crandall of ARC outlined a range of actions that Congress might consider to encourage companies to take a more active role in boosting recreation participation - from loaner bikes to gifts of park passes to physically active weekend outings for employees' families.

Click Here to download Dr. Michael Suk's powerpoint presentation.

Click Here to view/download Curt Cornelssen's presentation.

Click Here to view/download Pricewaterhouse Coopers report, Recreation's Role in Combating Obesity

Click Here to view/download ARC's suggestions for boosting participation in recreation activies.

Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
For Immediate Release: July 21, 2004

Contact: Kathryn Harrington
202-208-6502

Secretary Norton Announces the Designation of Estes Park, Colo.
as a Take Pride in America City

Take Pride in America Western States Tour to kick-off July 22 ESTES PARK, Colo. – Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced today that the Town of Estes Park, Colo. has been designated as a Take Pride in America City and recognized as the first in the state of Colorado. Norton noted that a Take Pride in America City designation is bestowed upon a city or municipality that supports the mission and goals of Take Pride. The city then agrees to sponsor two or more events such as an award ceremony or a clean-up event in its community.

Members of the Coalition for Recreational Trails and other trail supporters urged House and Senate conferees on the surface transportation reauthorization legislation to agree to the level of funding – $503 million over six years – included in the House-passed version of the legislation. Click here to see the entire text of the letter.

Nearly 40 organizations sent Congress two letters regarding National Park Service funding. One letter seeks full funding for national park roads, both in any final legislation emerging from the now-underway conference committee on a successor to TEA-21 and in any further extensions of TEA-21. Click here to see the Park Roads Letter.

The second letter seeks to have the costs of anti-terrorism efforts of the National Park Service paid for by the Department of Homeland Security, much as park road costs are funded through the Department of Transportation. We believe that the potential exists for guarding national critical assets and infrastructure at NPS sites could seriously erode the capability of the agency to continue progress on elimination of the backlog of deferred maintenance and in the use of new and higher fees to improve visitor services. Click Here to see the Anti-Terrorism letter.

PRESIDENT PROCLAIMS JUNE 2004
AS GREAT OUTDOORS MONTH

Washington, D.C. — June has been officially proclaimed Great Outdoors Month by President George W. Bush. In his proclamation, the President recalled the trek of Captains Lewis and Clark 200 years ago and the inspiring sights they recorded in their journals. He noted, “The splendor of the great outdoors continues to inspire our citizens, and a love of outdoor recreation remains a fundamental part of the American character. By observing Great Outdoors Month, we celebrate our commitment to appreciating and protecting our natural wealth.” He called upon all Americans to celebrate the month through participation in recreational activities.

GREAT OUTDOORS WEEK 2004 HAILED
AS A GREAT SUCCESS

Washington, D.C. - Hundreds of recreation community leaders participated in dozens of meetings and events during Great Outdoors Week 2004 and the result, according to American Recreation Coalition (ARC) President Derrick Crandall, was "outstanding progress on a wide range of key recreation initiatives and issues."

Examples of Opportunities to Apply Technology to Outdoor Recreation

1. Scenic Byways Virtual Tours: as you “fly” over a high-resolution aerial photograph on your computer screen, an audio narration describes the corridor and icons of key features – from trails to campgrounds to museums to boat ramps – appear. Clicking on any of the icons brings up detailed information and visual images – and even allows actions such as making a campground reservation. Go to http://demo.byways.org for a demonstration.