National Trails Day will be upon us Saturday, June 2nd. The American Hiking Society sponsors this annual event, which celebrates our nation’s 200,000 plus miles of recreation trails. Participants across the country join in to recognize the tremendous opportunities these trails provide in getting folks outdoors. Many National Trails Day activities are organized around volunteer trail cleanup projects, as well as guided hikes and walks.

What started off as an average hike in late October turned into a bit of a scare. Shenandoah National Park appeared to be on fire with color during my recent visit but little did I know what this trip had in store for me. The highest elevations boasted the brightest fall colors from oak, hickory, and maple trees, illustrating a typical yet breathtakingly beautiful fall day in the temperate zone.

Recreationists, young people, local citizens and conservationists all came out to support Utah’s public lands on August 3rd in Salt Lake City as part of America’s Great Outdoors. The listening session -- hosted by Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley; and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey -- was attended by roughly 300 people who spoke about their conservation ideas for Utah.

If you live in or care about the Chesapeake Bay now is your time to participate in one of the Obama administration’s listening sessions on America’s Great Outdoors.

Each year an estimated 180 million visitors recreate on national forests and grasslands. In order to serve the needs of these millions of people, the Forest Service manages an existing investment of approximately $4.1 billion in outdoor recreation infrastructure. Recreation is also a key economic driver, representing an estimated 60% of the national forest service’s total contribution to the United States gross domestic product (GDP) — significantly more than logging and other resource extraction activities combined.