U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Nature Rocks Co-Host Nationwide FREE Event - THIS Saturday, Sept. 25

by Janis Brett Elspas

MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

FREE Admission to All U.S. National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks on 9/25/2010

As some of you may know,  I worked in Yellowstone National Park one summer during college.  I've always been a huge fan of National Parks, the environment, and nature in general -- writing letters to the editor about protecting natural resources that have been published several times by the Los Angeles Times.  I've also penned a number of book reviews by authors such as environmentalist Ed Begley and Anna Getty on living greener at home as well reviewed various films for family audiences that celebrate nature such as Furry Vengeance. 
Arches National Park, August 2010

by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.blogspot.com

I am now passing that life-long love of all branches of the National Park system on to my kids and hubbie.  As a result of many family road trips, my kids and hubbie have already been to hundreds of National Parks with me, traveling to quite a few for repeat visits.  In fact, my four teens (triplets plus one more, all born within a year) are still talking about our huckleberry picking adventures in Montana and Idaho during Summer of 2009, as well as the roadtrip all six of us took in August of this year to Arches National Park in Utah.  Pictured above is a scene from that later family vacation.

Nature Rocks, which has really awesome programs, is a national initiative created to inspire and empower parents to enjoy quality time in nature with their families.  Today they just announced a new partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will bring new online resources to parents to get their kids more involved with the great outdoors.  To promote this, these two groups are hosting Nature Rocks Days at Fish and Wildlife Refuges across the country this Saturday, September 25, 2010, National Public Lands Day.  Incidentally, it is also Take a Child Outside Week from September 24 to 30 starting this Friday.

FREE Nature Rocks Day Events
Will Be Held at Each of These Locations

• Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge – Chincoteague, VA
• Forsythe NWR – Oceanville, NJ
• Big Stone NWR/WMD – Odessa, MN
• Wallkill River NWR – Sussex ,NJ
• Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery – Warm Springs, GA
• Wheeler NWR – Decatur, AL
• Desert National Wildlife Refuge – Las Vegas, NV
• Roma Bluffs World Birding Center – Roma, TX
• San Diego NWRC Sweetwater Marsh – Chula Vista, CA
• Coleman National Fish Hatchery – Anderson, CA
• Hassayampa River Preserve – Wickenberg, AZ
• Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve – Homer, AK
• Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute – Tucson, AZ

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission is to work with the public and others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.  This is the fifth national organization to partner with Nature Rocks -- a program developed by the Children & Nature Network and ecoAmerica to inspire families to play and explore in nature for healthier, happier and smarter children.  Current partners are The Nature Conservancy, REI, the American Heart Association, the American Camp Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  To learn more about Nature Rocks and its partners, visit their official site; also follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

Nature Rocks is just one of the many eco-friendly ways parents can see nature through your child's eyes.  Look for other good to the Earth blogposts on this blog wherever you see this MommyBlogExpert Eco-Friendly Blogpost icon.

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