Summer is here! It’s a time for outdoor adventures both out of town and close to home on the local trails of our beloved Forest Park.
This year, spending time on the trails will have to change so that we can all safely access the physical and mental health benefits of nature together. We all have a part to play to keep each other safe from the dangers of COVID-19. And we must also work together to keep each other safe in another, vital way.
The Forest Park Conservancy is a member of the Recreate Responsibly Coalition. The Coalition is a newly formed, nationwide community of nonprofits, outdoor businesses, and land managers who work to develop and share best practices to protect each other and our natural landscapes. This community shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to help everyone experience the benefits of nature safely during this global public health crisis. It is a working group that looks to unify and amplify commonsense guidance about getting outside during COVID-19.
Creating a Safe and Welcoming Outdoors for All
Recently the Coalition released a new foundational principle its tips, initially released in May, for safely recreating outdoors. The new, Seventh Guideline to #RecreateResponsibly is: Build an Inclusive Outdoors.
The new guideline calls on all of us to do our part to help build a safe and welcoming outdoors for all identities and abilities. It acknowledges that while state and local guidelines will continue to evolve, we can all do the work now be a part of making the outdoors a safe place to be.
Following the #RecreateResponsibly guidelines will keep everyone safe as we enjoy our parks, waters, trails, and forests.
To learn more, download the #RecreateResponsibly toolkit to help spread the word.