March 2, 2007
Chicago Area Recreation Forum
On March 22 Chicago Wilderness, in partnership with the American Recreation Coalition and National Forest Foundation, will hold a regional forum to offer an opportunity for Chicago Wilderness members and others to begin to address how best to actively involve youth in the outdoors, and connect with the next generation of caretakers of public lands.
You are invited to contribute personally to this effort. Please accept this invitation to participate in the Chicago Area Recreation Forum on March 22, 2007 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the South Shore Cultural Center (7059 South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL).
This free event is one of five regional forums being convened across the country to explore issues surrounding public recreation, including the growing concerns over nature-deficit disorder. Broadly, these forums will:
Document the importance of outdoor recreation to important societal goals ranging from improved physical, mental and spiritual health to improved educational systems, to economic vitality and deterrence of crime,
Identify local and regional successes in increasing the quality and quantity of recreation opportunities, which deserve consideration for expansion and replication, and explore approaches to better connect citizens, especially urban populations, with the benefits of forest system lands and other public lands.
Specifically, the Chicago forum will also be an opportunity for Chicago Wilderness members and others to:
Identify opportunities to increase awareness within target audiences of local natural resources and their value to area residents
Share successes and identify common ground with new partners; and position Chicago Wilderness and its members as leaders in the fields of conservation and environmental education, as protectors of resources critical to human health, and as providers of necessary community services.
The output from the March 22 forum will be used in a national forum to be held in Washington, D.C. in April that will engage national leaders in the public and private sectors.
As a leader in environmental and recreation issues in the Chicago region, your presence will be crucial to ensuring that this forum adequately captures the important opportunities and challenges within this area.
To participate, please register online at http://www.rsvpbook.com/event
A complimentary continental breakfast will be available courtesy of the Chicago Park District, and box lunches will be available for a cost of $10 payable on the day of the forum; please indicate on the registration form whether or not you would like a lunch
Jaime Zaplatosch
Openlands
Posted by Ron Wolford at 9:34 PM |
