Great Park Pursuit a Real Nebraska Adventure

[Bumpus]

NGPC news release, 4/1/08:

LINCOLN, Neb. – Encouraging active lifestyles while increasing awareness of outdoor recreation opportunities throughout Nebraska parks and trails via a series of interactive activities is the goal of The Great Park Pursuit.

Obesity levels are high in the United States, causing costly health and other problems. Getting outside and increasing physical activity is an easy way to combat that trend. By visiting parks, Nebraskans may build an appreciation for the natural world and learn to become stewards of the states outdoor recreation and natural recourses.

The Great Park Pursuit is based on a similar program started in Connecticut, which uses it as the centerpiece of its No Child Left Inside initiative.

Bass Pro Shops and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska are corporate sponsors of The Great Park Pursuit, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Recreation and Park Association are the founding program coordinators. Outdoor Recreation Products and Landscape Structures are contributing sponsors.

The Great Park Pursuit awards levels of participation with prizes, including grand prizes by Bass Pro Shops. Five grand-prize winners will be drawn. Each winner will get to pick one of the following three packages valued at $1,000 each: canoe/kayak package, camping package, or fishing package.

“Too often, recreation time is spent in front of a screen,” said Lee Handke, vice president of Health Network and Wellness Services for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. “We are happy to sponsor The Great Park Pursuit because it encourages families to get out and spend meaningful time together in Nebraskas beautiful parks. Families will be rewarded with more active lifestyles, plus create memories that will last a lifetime.”

Said Jim Goff, general manager of the Bass Pro Shops store in Council Bluffs, Iowa: “Sometimes people need an incentive to get outside. These are nice $1,000 grand prizes. These will give a family the means which they may not have had for spending a weekend in the outdoors.”

Here are the details of the program:

Participants have 10 specific state or city parks to visit from April 26 through Sept. 1. At each park they are prompted to find their way to a designated location in that park, where they will make a pencil tracing of a nature impression that is mounted on a post. They will mail in the impression cards, reflecting the total number of parks visited. Prizes will be awarded based on the number of tracings collected. All tracings must be mailed in by Sept. 10, 2008.

Participants register or get more information at Nebraska Great Park Pursuit. They may register individually, as a group, or as a family. They will select a park from the 10 available, then print off that park page and take it to the park. They should follow the clues on the park page to the post that has the nature impression, make the tracing, then plan a trip to another park.

Participants should continue to complete as many tracings as possible while enjoying the outdoors and other activities at the parks. The parks may be visited in any order.

“NeRPAs membership of dedicated recreation and park professionals are excited to be kicking off such an excellent program,” said Tracy Stratman, president of NeRPA. “The Great Park Pursuit is a wonderful way to showcase the many park and recreational opportunities throughout the state for all ages.”

The 10 parks included in The Great Park Pursuit are: Steinhart Park, Nebraska City; Chadron State Park (SP); Scottsbluff Riverside Park; Zorinsky Lake Park, Omaha; Smith Falls SP; Yanney Park, Kearney; Eugene T. Mahoney SP; Iron Horse Park, North Platte; Ponca SP; and Lake Hastings Park, Hastings.

“Nebraska is blessed with 86 state park areas and many more community parks,” said Roger Kuhn, assistant director for the Commissions Parks Division. “The Great Park Pursuit park areas include some of the best Nebraska has to offer – and visitors will not be disappointed. From the Pine Ridge of western Nebraska to the unmatched beauty of the Niobrara River Valley to the Missouri River at Ponca State Park, the Great Park Pursuit has wonderful parks to visit.”

Kickoff events are planned at three parks in conjunction with other activities at those locations: April 26 – Iron Horse Park, North Platte, 3-5 p.m., in conjunction with O’Rourke Triathlon; May 17 – Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Ashland, 9-11 a.m., in conjunction with Nebraskas Free Park Entry and Fishing Permit Day, fishing derby, and outdoor education seminars; June 14 – Lake Hastings Park, 10 a.m.-noon, in conjunction with fishing derby, kite flying, disc golf.

Following are the prizes:

Those who complete and mail in one nature impression tracing will be entered to win a two-night stay at a Nebraska state parks lodging cabin of their choice.

The first 200 who complete and mail in five tracings will get a $25 Bass Pro Shops gift card.

Those who complete and mail in seven tracings will be entered once for the grand prize drawing. Those who complete and mail in 10 tracings will be entered three times for the grand prize drawing and receive a free 2009 Nebraska Park Entry Permit.