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March 28, 2007 Lt. Governor Fedele Announces The Great Park Pursuit, 2007 State Parks Family Adventure Back for Second Year Contest is key part of "No Child Left Inside" Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele today announced The Great Park Pursuit, 2007, Connecticut’s outdoor adventure to introduce families to the outdoors, build the next generation of environmental stewards and showcase Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests over seven weeks this spring. During a launch event at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Lt. Governor Fedele said, "The Great Park Pursuit was an instant success last year. More than 400 families took advantage of the opportunity to get away from their computers and television sets and spend some time together outdoors in our great state parks. Now, we are bringing this contest back for another round this spring. I encourage all families to sign up today for The Great Park Pursuit." "The return of The Great Park Pursuit clearly demonstrates that Connecticut is a national leader in recognizing the strong connection between the outdoors and the health and well being of our children," Lt. Governor Fedele said. "Simply put, children are better off when they spend time outdoors. As a result, we are determined to make it easy and fun for families to spend more time together outdoors."Details: The Great Park Pursuit The Great Park Pursuit, The Connecticut State Parks Family Adventure, is a central element of Connecticut’s No Child Left Inside initiative. The game will take Connecticut families to seven different state parks and forests this spring. Families can register for the game starting today at: www.nochildleftinside.org The Great Park Pursuit kicks-off on Saturday, May 12 at Beardsley Park, Bridgeport and concludes on June 23. Some of the events in the contest will take place on specific Saturdays and will be guided by DEP staff. Other activities are "self-guided" and families in the contest can visit these locations anytime during the seven-week contest period. Clues to activities and locations of the contest will be available at the end of each week’s activity and on the "No Child Left Inside" website. At each location, teams will be asked to complete at least one activity that highlights the opportunities in Connecticut’s state parks and forests such as hiking, letterboxing, fishing, archery and more. Participants will be eligible for three grand prizes of outdoor equipment, donated by local retailers including North Cove Outfitter in Old Saybrook and Ski Market with various locations throughout Connecticut. The contest is open to families – which must include one person 18 or over and one person under the age of 18. Last year Connecticut families were full of variety, from grandparents and grandchildren, aunts and uncles with nieces and nephews, and even Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. Success of No Child Left Inside No Child Left Inside and The Great Park Pursuit have been well received, not only by Connecticut families, but throughout New England and the nation. In addition, the DEP has responded to requests to provide material on this initiative to a number of states and to various federal agencies. DEP is also actively involved in coordinating No Child Left Inside activities with neighboring New England states. Both Massachusetts and New Hampshire plan to implement The Great Park Pursuit this spring. DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy said, "The No Child Left Inside initiative and The Great Park Pursuit contest are fun and exciting programs for our agency. There is, however, a serious side to it all. Today’s youngsters do not have enough opportunities to get outside. We need to help make that happen. We also need to encourage youngsters to love the outdoors and our natural resources. If we fail in this mission, there will be few adults in the future willing to speak up and fight for our environment." "It was inspiring last spring to see families enjoying the outdoors together during The Great Park Pursuit contest. The success of the contest demonstrated that we can get people back outdoors and that we can interest people in our environment. Other states have watched what we are accomplishing. With the Lt. Governor’s help, we are leading a national movement for families to reclaim the outdoors." Additional Components of No Child Left Inside In addition to The Great Park Pursuit, other components of No Child Left Inside include:
No Child Left Inside Partners
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