Today marks the first day of summer, and we can almost hear Mom's voice telling us to go play outside. And, frankly, there's no better time to start than Great Outdoors Month.
This annual celebration of outdoor activities and their benefits has grown from a week-long celebration in 1998 to cover the entire month of June. Whether you are into fishing, camping, hiking, biking, or other outside pursuits, there are plenty of places to enjoy them. You could spend all summer exploring some of the 419 locations in the National Park System, or visit some of the thousands of state and local park facilities near you.
The Corporation for National and Community Service leads AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs that serve as stewards for many of the outdoor spaces we have in this nation. The natural beauty we experience in our public spaces requires a lot of work to protect, and these national service members help maintain and preserve recreational areas for everyone to enjoy.
Let's take Mom's advice and go have some fun outside. It would be a shame to let all of that beauty go to waste.