Family fun: ‘Get Outdoors’ celebration to be held at Tuacahn

A family attending the 2016 Get Outdoors Day event poses for a photo with U.S. Forest Service mascot Smokey Bear and BLM mascot Seymour Antelope. The goal of GO Day is to engage families and kids in the outdoors through fun activities and games that share messages of stewardship and caring for public lands, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, Ivins, Utah, date not specified |Photo courtesy of BLM Arizona Strip District, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The Dixie Arizona Strip Interpretive Association with partnering land management agencies will host an event at Tuacahn Center for the Arts Saturday as part of “National Get Outdoors Day,” or “GO Day.” The 10th annual event encourages healthy, active outdoor fun.

Hikers explore the Canal Trail, Hurricane, Utah, Sept. 5, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Participating partners will offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and nontraditional types of outdoor activities.

Primary goals of the day are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting youth to the great outdoors.

This GO Day event will offer a mix of information centers and active fun areas where guests can see desert tortoises, learn outdoor survival skills, experience the heavens with a sun telescope and find lots of information about public lands in the region. 

Photo opportunities with Smokey Bear and Seymore Antelope will be provided.

Desert tortoise, Red Cliffs Reserve near Chuckwalla and Paradise Rim Trails, Washington County, Utah, May 24, 2015 | Photo by Joyce Kuzmanic, St. George Newsl

The pilot effort of National Get Outdoors Day was launched on June 14, 2008, and, since then, has grown every year.

Building on the success of “More Kids in the Woods” and other important efforts to connect Americans of all ages with nature and active lifestyles, the U.S. Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition led an inclusive, nationwide effort focusing on a single day when people would be inspired and motivated to get outdoors.

Last year, more than 171 official GO Day sites across the nation welcomed over 48,000 new faces to the joy and benefits of the great outdoors.

Hikers enjoy the vista platform at the end of the Bristlecone Pine Trail, which offers a stunning view into Zion surrounded by one of the earth’s oldest living organisms, Bristlecone Pine, Cedar Mountain, Utah, June 25, 2016 | Photo by Reuben Wadsworth, St. George News

GO Day is an outgrowth of the “Get Outdoors USA!” campaign, which encourages Americans, especially youth, to seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and embrace our parks, forests, refuges and other public lands and waters.

Working with the Forest Service, Get Outdoors USA! hosted six recreation forums in early 2007 and learned that public lands were missing the right triggers to capture the attention of today’s youth.

The GO Day concept was first tested at the Outdoor Recreation Village at Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona, which drew over 100,000 visitors.

To learn more about National Get Outdoors Day, visit the organization’s website here.

Event details

  • What: National Get Outdoors Day celebration.
  • When: Saturday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Where: Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheater, 1100 Tuacahn Drive in Ivins.
  • Cost: Free.

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Twitter: @STGnews

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