Opening Doors to the Outdoors

A A A Comments By Colin Bane Thursday, Jun 10 2010

The Denver metro area has “a wealth of urban parks and outdoor recreation opportunities and “a world of outdoor adventure in all directions throughout the state,” says Bruce Ward, president of the Choose Outdoors board of directors and a spokesman for the third annual National Get Outdoors Day event at City Park. “But the sad reality is that there are still a lot of kids in this city who almost never get outdoors.”

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According to the Get Outdoors USA campaign, the amount of time kids spend outside has fallen by 50 percent in the last twenty years, while the rate of obesity among adolescents is now four times what it was in 1990. Ward says event organizers expect as many as 10,000 people for this year’s festivities, which include opportunities to try mountain biking, dry slope skiing and snowboarding, fishing, rock climbing and other activities, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., as well as appearances by Smokey the Bear and friends, and he hopes it's not all preaching to the choir.

“It’s only one day out of the year,” Ward says, “but the hope is that we’ll introduce some of these families to some activities they’ll want to pursue throughout the year and throughout their lives.” For more information, visit www.getoutdoorscolorado.org.
Sat., June 12, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 2010

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