Mark's Newsletter Update: Help Encourage Kids to Get Outdoors
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Dear Fellow Coloradan,
I've been skiing, climbing and hiking our Western lands ever since my mom inspired my siblings and me to appreciate the great outdoors. As an adult, my passion for the outdoors led me to climb some of the world's most challenging peaks, including every one of Colorado's 14ers. But the most rewarding time I've spent in Colorado's backcountry has been with my own children, sharing my love for the outdoors and our responsibility to care for our natural landscapes.
Jed and Tess are old enough to plan their own outdoor adventures now, but as chairman of the Senate's Subcommittee on National Parks and co-chairman of the bipartisan Outdoor Recreation Caucus, I remain committed to sharing an appreciation for the outdoors with younger generations. Unfortunately, many kids today spend more time browsing the Internet than exploring nature, and attendance at America's national parks has steadily declined since the late 1980s.
So, I'm asking for your help.
Please share your ideas on how to get kids more involved in our national parks.
Encouraging kids to get outdoors is about more than just getting back in touch with nature. Before I was elected to the Senate, I worked as an instructor and later executive director of the Colorado Outward Bound School. I saw firsthand the ability of outdoor experiences to challenge and inspire young minds. For example, although the Internet can put over 28,000 image results for Mesa Verde's kivas at our kids' fingertips, it can't replace the taste of the dusty air when you climb into one, or the feeling of being connected to the history of a land, a people and a country. And I have never read a textbook description of how centuries of wind erosion formed the sandstone monoliths at Colorado National Monument that illustrated it quite as well as standing amid a group of those towers.
The famous naturalist John Muir once wrote, "Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world." Colorado's backcountry provides an amazing opportunity to help us encourage our kids to stay healthy and to teach them about our natural and historical heritage using the spectacular landscapes in our backyard - and it costs far less than a trip to an amusement park. Help more families enjoy and appreciate our amazing American landscapes by sharing a few good ideas about how to get the next generation of Americans active and involved in our national parks.
Please take a moment to contribute your ideas, or help promote your favorite ideas by voting for them. This is your chance to help shape my initiative to help get kids more involved in our national parks.
Warm regards,
