Family-Outdoors

Outdoor fun only started with Memorial Day weekend. Free Fishing Weekend, June 4-5, provides a chance for kids and adults to participate at recreation areas located across Indiana that are planning fun fishing derbies, casting clinics, fish-cleaning demonstrations and cooking classes. A list of the many sites offering special events for kids for the weekend is at  http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3598.htm . Free Fishing Weekend also is a great chance for Hoosier adults who don't fish or haven't for a while to take a child fishing. That's because Indiana's adult residents do not need a license or a trout/salmon stamp to fish Indiana waters during Free Fishing Weekend. With children age 17 and younger not needing a fishing license at any time, it's a perfect match. All other fishing regulations are still in effect during Free Fishing Weekend. Adults who decide they want to buy a license for the rest of the year can do so any time at  http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/53...

JEFFERSON CITY , MO., May 31, 2011 – Begin your summer of fun with a Summer Fun Expo June 11 at Crowder State Park near Trenton.    The free expo will be held at the beach parking lot from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. The expo will feature nature displays, outdoor recreation demonstrations, face painting, nature crafts and guided nature walks. The event is being held during the Free Fishing Weekend so bring a fishing pole to add to the summer fun. Crowder  State Park  is located west of Trenton off Highway 6. For more information, call the park directly at  660-359-6473  or calling the Department of Natural Resources toll free at  800-334-6946  (voice) or  800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf).    For information about state parks and historic sites, visit  mostateparks.com .

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Parks and Trails is partnering with The North Face on the Explore Your Parks program in keeping with the DNR’s mission to connect people to the outdoors. Looking for places to hike, bike, camp, climb and paddle this summer? While supplies last, people can pick up a free Explore Your Parks activity guide at The North Face stores (3008 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, or 799 Grand Ave., St. Paul) and discover several Minnesota state parks where family activities are offered. People who make a purchase at The North Face will receive a one-day pass (a $5 value) to any of Minnesota’s 74 state parks and recreation areas. “Engaging the next generation in outdoor activities is a big job, and we all have to help with the mission,” said Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR’s Division of Parks and Trails. “We’re grateful to The North Face for partnering with us to educate the public about the value of nature and the importance of being...

(Released May 26, 2011) As part of its ongoing effort to get more people outdoors, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a series of skill-building workshops that will introduce camping, fishing, paddling, climbing and archery to the next generation this summer.  The DNR Division of Parks and Trails created these programs in response to recent research that points to declining participation in outdoor recreation by young families. After hearing parents say in focus groups that they lacked outdoor skills, the DNR created a series of workshops with a focus on outdoor adventure made easy for beginners. The workshops were made possible with funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. I Can Camp! Participants will camp overnight, get hands-on experience, and learn basic outdoor skills from an expert I Can Camp! crew. All camping equipment is provided (including tents, air mattresses and cook stoves). Participants just bring their own food and bedd...

May 25, 2011 The Department of Natural Resources is working with the Michigan No Child Left Inside Coalition to promote "No Child Left Inside Week" June 19-26. This annual week is set aside to encourage adults and caregivers to get Michigan's children outdoors for at least one hour each day. "We know that getting kids outdoors is important. Studies show benefits include physical, mental and emotional improvement when kids play outdoors," said Raymond Rustem of the DNR Marketing and Outreach Division. "Kids today need to reconnect with their outdoor heritage. They understand less about the animals and plants in their backyard than they do the characters on popular TV shows or video games." The coalition membership includes a variety of agencies and organizations across the state including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Chippewa Nature Center, Michigan Recreation and Parks Association, ...

Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park temporarily closed                JEFFERSON CITY, MO., MAY 25, 2011 – The planned openings of three Missouri State Parks swim beaches have been temporarily postponed and a fourth beach has been temporarily closed to the public following recent water samples that indicated elevated bacteria levels.   The openings of the two swimming beaches at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and the beach at Cuivre River State Park, scheduled for this weekend, have been postponed. Hermitage Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park, which opened last weekend, has been temporarily closed.   However, the Pittsburg Beach at Pomme de Terre State Park remains open. Two boat ramps at Pomme de Terre State Park are currently closed due to high water levels.   Visitors may check with the park or the website for additional information on current closings. The water at all des...

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. MAY 24, 2011 -- Learn about the women of the Boone family during a special guided tour at Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site near Ash Grove on Saturday, June 4. The tour will begin at 2 p.m. and last approximately one hour.   The guide will be Greta Russell, editor of the Missouri Women’s History Blog.   Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Foremost among the women in Nathan Boone’s life was his wife, Olive.   The two were married in Kentucky in 1799, and traveled alone to Missouri just weeks later.   Nathan Boone was 18 years old and Olive was 16.   While Nathan devoted his energies to hunting, surveying and other pursuits that kept him away from home for long periods of time, Olive quickly learned to adapt to life on the early Missouri frontier.   The couple remained together for 57 years until Nathan’s death in 1856.   Eleven of their 14 children were daughters.   The tour will focus...

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MAY 24, 2011 – The public is invited to bring their ideas to an informational meeting on Saturday, June 4 to discuss issues related to the section of Katy Trail State Park between Matson and Portland.   The open house will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Katy Trail State Park's trailhead at Dutzow.   Recent accomplishments and future plans will be highlighted during the open meeting, including drainage and trail surface repairs in the trail. Visitors are invited to share comments on the park’s services and operations.   Information about volunteer opportunities will be available. This informational meeting is part of an ongoing effort to ensure citizens have input on facilities and services offered in state parks and historic sites.             Katy Trail State Park ’s Dutzow trailhead is located off of Highway 94 in Dutzow.     People requiring special services or...

The other day I wrote a page on our website on teaching kids how to fish .  I emphasized patience, spending limited amounts of time, dedicating the initial trips only on teaching the child, and so one.  One aspect I mentioned was the advantages of starting them off fishing with a cane pole.  So, I thought today I would discuss some of the ins-and-outs of this pure form of fishing. A quick search just now produced numerous results for buying cane poles and they were all in the $5 to $10 range.  So there is one hugely important factor right there.  I know when my kids were little, we were counting the pennies.  Heck, with one in college, and the second headed next year, we are REALLY counting pennies! You just cannot go wrong on a purchase of a fishing pole in this price range.  That is as long as it will catch fish! The great thing about teaching kids to fish, is at least at first, they do not care how big the fish are that they bring in.  The ...

Image by flemming. d5000 via Flickr This still image is the kind of scene that creates in me the need to experience the outdoors.  This is not a particularly deep message, but one I just currently feel like expressing. You know, I think we often convince ourselves that our outdoor excursions need to be massive expeditions to realize the benefits of natures tranquilizing effects.  At least for me, and I thank God for this, nothing could be further from the truth. A walk around the lake area where we live, for fifteen or twenty minutes, quickly deflates much of the day's silliness, and brings me back to a place where life seems more normal to me.  Often these walks are taken with my wife.  They seem to bring us closer together. I love taking big trips - whether that means a weekend trip to the Current River or a month or longer trip to Montana.  But, you know what?  This weekend that won't be happening, and I will get all that I need from the nature t...