State Parks

Experience

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ISSUE 1 July 2012

NORTH CAROLINA OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS NEVADA

Americas State Parks

Your complete Guide to experience what America State Parks have to offer

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT GOING CAMPING? It seems that more and more people start to like camping, for camping can give them so much joy.

Welcome!

Welcome to the next issue of Getaway to America State Parks Magazine.

This is a monthly online magazine that promotes your State Parks and encourages you to experience the wonders of our Great Outdoors.

Subscriptions for 12 issues is only $20 of which $3 goes to your State Park Foundation in order to ensure this valuable resource continues with the generations to come.

This issue features North Carolina, Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma. Each issue we will bring you four new states along with all you need to know about exploring America State Parks

Of course, different people have different ideas. Some people are deeply addicted to camping, while some people hate it.

However, people who enjoy it tend to be hooked, and they treat camping as a lifestyle. Still, people love it for many different reasons, and everyone is equally valid.

Camping is an old way of staying somewhere, so camping gives us in touch with some primitive part of our collective past. Maybe it is the reason why so many people are crazy about camping!

There is no doubt that camping brings us much closer to nature.

You feel the serenity of morning and evening in the camping tent, which is that you can not do in a house or hotel in a way. You come out of the tent to walk on grass, to cook in the open air and feel the weather, the smells of nature. The farther you go from civilization, the more intense feeling you will taste.

Sometimes the experience can be spiritual with no sound of cars or voices, especially at night if the sky is clear and thousands of stars are on view. That can be a real reminder of how insignificant we all are, and nature is great in the universe.

At this very moment, you will taste the complete different feeling that sitting in the gazebo.

Certainly, one of the major reasons many people choose camping to take a vacation is because it's a cheap way to get out for a few days. It offers the chance to explore places you, going into the countryside instead of a beach, for example.

Therefore, camping opens up all manner of new horizons besides saving money.

Whatever your reason for loving to camp, the important is to enjoy the process of camping.

It's also good for your families; as for some kids, they just experience the life under the marquee in the daily life, then it is a good way of taking the kids away from television and video games without question, and all the other stimulation that's part of daily life, getting them out of the house to do things in nature. It makes them aware of a larger world, and can build a lifelong love of animals and nature.

Let's Go Fire Fishin' the pole a jig and the skewers flip over to the other side. It's fun!

The skewers can hold up to four marshmallows or two hot dogs. You can cook those favorites or get creative and try things like shrimp, apple slices coated with cinnamon & honey, brats, caramel covered pear slices, or even bacon-wrapped dried plums.

No more worrying about deforesting the campsite in search of branches or getting toxins from coat hanger paint, the skewer portion of Fire Fishin' Pole which holds the food is kitchen grade stainless steel.

A fun new campfire activity is sweeping the country: Fire Fishin'. Kids and adults alike are enjoying this fun and easy way to roast up marshmallows, hot dogs, etc.

What makes Fire Fishing possible is the new Fire Fishin' Pole. A stainless steel "line and hook" hang down from a colorful metal rod, which has a comfortable wooden handle.

The "hook" is an H-shaped set of skewers with a hinge at the midpoint. You load the skewers with popular foods like marshmallows and then "cast" them out to the sweet spot of the fire. Once they start getting done on one side, you give

The patent-pending Fire Fishin' Poles were invented and are manufactured in Minnesota, USA. Let's go Fire Fishin'!

Fire Fishin' Poles are sold by Auspit for $24.99 each and additional price breaks are given when buying more than one.

See www.AuspitBBQ.com/fun or call 1888-6-AUSPIT for more information and to place an order.

The Wonders of

Birding

By Joe Elton

Magnolia Warbler

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

ARKANSAS

Welcome to Arkansas State Parks. The hallmark of Arkansas's state parks system is the diversity of our scenic landscapes, natural and cultural resources, park facilities, and programs.

Choose from mountain lodges and cabins on the bluffs of Arkansas's highest peaks or campsites on the shores of sparkling lakes and rivers. Tour historic buildings and

museums or dig for real diamonds at the only diamondbearing site in the world open to the public. Or visit prehistoric American Indian mound sites or one of our nation's most intact Civil War battlefields.

special activities and events to experience. Family fun includes activities for the whole family and other activities designed just for kids. Activities for seniors include our Elderhostel programs that are among the finest in the nation.

Search our Arkansas Calendar of Events by month or park location and keywords and choose from a wide variety of

the Arkansas state parks system offers over 40,000 interpretive programs and events each year including guided lake tours on

You can send beautiful Arkansas State Parks online ecards to your family and friends. View breathtaking videos.

Explore the parks through hundreds of photographs.

And before you leave the Web site, sign up for our free newsletter and keep up to date with what's going on in the state parks.

park party barges, hikes, birding adventures, living history programs, fall foliage programs, eagle programs to celebrate their presence in Arkansas during winter migration, spring wildflowers, and so much more.

On their Web site, www.arkansasstateparks.com you can explore Arkansas history and trivia. Download cool free stuff for your computer such as free desktop wallpapers and Arkansas screensavers.

The State Parks of Arkansas are here for you.

The 52 state parks are naturals for enjoying the beauty and history of Arkansas. They offer something for everyone and provide endless opportunities for outdoor adventures and traveling through Arkansas's fascinating past.

You are invited to explore and enjoy them.

Petit Jean State Park Petit Jean Mountain is a special place – an unforgettable place – known for the legend of Petit Jean, the story of a French girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, an early explorer, to the New World and to this mountain.

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas’s first state park, enhances this 300–year–old legend with windswept views, enchanting woodlands laced with streams and wildflowers, and a spectacular waterfall calledCedar Falls.

This park is a place where nature over time has formed sheer bluffs, Cedar Creek Canyon and the Seven Hollows, such distinctive features as Bear Cave, the Grotto and Natural Bridge, and whimsical formations we call Turtle Rocks and Carpet Rocks.

It’s a place where the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps endures in facilities mirroring the mountain’s rugged natural beauty.

The park’s historic Mather Lodge on the bluff of Cedar Creek Canyon reopens soon following renovation. Near the lodge are the park’s 33 cabins. Twenty-one include kitchens. Many share the same bluff as the lodge. Some cabins are CCC/Rustic-style, and others are modern duplex designs.

Come discover this legendary Arkansas state park called Petit Jean.

1285 Petit Jean Mountain Road – Morrilton, AR 72110 Phone: 501-727-5441

Hiking Hiking over mountains and trekking through thick forests may seem to be a tough and demanding sort of activity, but in fact all it takes is a good fitness level, some basic equipment and a sound understanding of a few key concepts. The key for those new to hiking, as with most other learning experiences, is to take things slowly.

So where should you start? An excellent idea to begin with would be to find a suitable location in your local area in which to practice; a park or an area of the nearest suburbs for example. By staying local to residential areas you are ensuring the terrain remains reasonably tame and that you are never too far from help if something should go wrong. Walking in a group with experienced hikers is always a good idea; it increases your own safety and that of the other members of the group and also allows you to ask questions if you are unsure about anything or would just like some extra guidance.

Youth- Our future is in their hands... ..How do you feel about that?

I woke up on March 29 feeling much better about America’s future.

What boosted my spirits was a remarkable event held the day before at the Hall of States in Washington, D.C. Young people 16-26 teamed up to showcase a national youth movement.

These “Youth Ambassadors” talked about their involvement in programs that highlight the health and well being benefits state parks and outdoor recreation provides the nation.

In 2010 the first Youth Summit was held in New York City’s Central Park. In 2011 five summits were hosted

State Parks Youth Ambassadors promote parks by blogging about their park visits and social networking with friends and this year summits will be held in eight cities – Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, New York, Denver, Twin Cities, San Francisco and Atlanta.

These summits have brought together young representatives from two American institutions – one being America’s 7,000 state parks and the other being our

riding, fishing, paddling, swimming, boating, hunting, wildlife watching and all the other things we love doing in the great outdoors.

The America’s State Park Youth Ambassadors is a program promoted by the America’s State Parks Foundation.

Today they have nearly 100 active members across the country who write about park visits and post award winning articles, videos and photographs at http://www.americasstateparks.co m/Ambassadors. The Youth Ambassador Program is a youth led movement for promoting the outdoors to other young adults.

Youth Ambassadors share their own passions for the outdoors in hopes of inspiring others to get outside and experience what the state parks have to offer.

nation’s dynamic outdoor industry. State parks and the outdoor industry support our love of hiking, biking, horseback

In order to do this, Ambassadors work with park staff and take advantage of social media with the sole intention of reaching out to youth who have not developed a deep connection with outdoor recreation.

Georgetown University Outdoor Nation Ambassadors discuss their work with inner city youth through kayaking on the Anacostia River in D. C

Outdoor Nation Youth Ambassadors is an initiative of The Outdoor Foundation.

Outdoor Nation has some of the most amazing partners on the planet. Their founding partners were outdoor industry leaders who believe in the power of youth to mobilize an outdoor movement. Growing by the day, coalition partners provide the ongoing support that has helped transform Outdoor Nation into a youth movement sweeping the country. Learn more about this movement at http://www.outdoornation.org/pag e/about-2 Seeing state parks and the outdoor industry working together to create transformative leadership opportunities for young Americans is exciting to watch and as I said at the outset – it gives me confidence that America has a generation of future leaders who understand that our state parks and outdoor recreation are vital to the health and well being of our citizens, our environment and our economy.

Outdoor recreation has proven to be one of the most recession resilient industries in the country.

At a time when we are combating a sluggish economy and obesity epidemic few initiatives could be more important. Please consider supporting the work of the America’s State Parks Foundation and Outdoor Nation.

By Joe Elton

Help Support the America's State Parks Foundation

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Publisher/Editor: Dennis Macready Article contributors: Joe Elton, Patti Elton, Fred Lochner, Evanne Schmarder.

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