July is Park and Recreation Month and we’re rising up for parks and recreation at Decatur Active Living! Help us celebrate Park and Recreation Month and create a new park memory! Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages as well as BeActiveDecatur.com for announcements of activities. #RiseUpJuly
Friday is July 1st and that means, it’s time to share how We Rise Up for Parks and Recreation! We’re celebrating Park and Recreation Month this July by highlighting all the ways our communities are stronger, more vibrant and more resilient because of parks and recreation.
Since 1985, people in the United States have celebrated Park and Recreation Month in July to promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation and to recognize the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals — along with hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal workers and volunteers — that maintain our country’s local, state and community parks.
The services that park and recreation professionals provide are vital for our communities — from protecting open space and natural resources to helping fight obesity and providing activities and resources for all people. This has been especially true throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Park and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential value park and recreation professionals bring to communities.
All month long we’re going to have special activities and events, showcase our parks and greenspaces in Decatur and spotlight Decatur Active Living employees. Stay tuned for an exciting month! #RiseUpJuly
National Great Outdoors Month in June reminds us to explore our nation’s abundant wildlife refuges, parks, and natural beauty.
Whether we hike or bike the trails, kayak or canoe the many rivers and canyons or pitch a tent in the forest or on a hillside,
No matter our preferred mode of enjoying the great outdoors – hiking, biking, kayaking to name a few – nature is calling. Pursue the beauty and majesty of the big skies and open spaces the outdoors offers.
This month also raises awareness of the accessibility of the great outdoors. Depending on where we live, sometimes reaching nature is more difficult. Many cities create relaxing and vibrant green spaces with trails and paths designed for easy access by the community. However, in some inner-city neighborhoods, access to parks or the ability to get outside the city to visit State or National Parks is difficult.
National Great Outdoors Month is an excellent time to consider making access possible.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Visit a State or National Park. Volunteer as a summer camp counselor. Take an outdoor photography class. Sign up for Northern lights tour. Get blisters where you’ve never had them before. Go deep sea diving. Learn how to identify birds and go birding. Share your enthusiasm for nature with a group of students and take them on a nature hike. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister and go on a group nature bike trail. Share your ideas on social media using #GreatOutdoorsMonth.
Decatur has a variety of parks and greenspaces, plan your adventure here!