CAMP HILL — Knowing the benefits of spending time outside, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) encourages everyone to get outdoors and get moving. Grab a camera, phone or video camera and celebrate this year’s special outdoor occasions including Earth Day, Rothrock Week, I Love My State Parks Week, State Parks and Forests Week, National Trails Day, and Healthy Lands Week by capturing these events with video.
With 121 state parks, 2.2 million acres of forest, and over 11,000 miles of trails, Pennsylvania’s parks and forests offer free access to the outdoors and endless opportunities for recreation including hiking, biking, canoeing, climbing, rafting, leisure walks in the woods, picnicking, angling, hunting and much more.
Help celebrate all that PA’s parks and forests provide. From Earth Day through PA Healthy Lands Week capture video footage while engaging in the outdoors or while volunteering in a state park or forest. Share it on social media, tag PPFF, and include the hashtags #GetMovingPA and #GetInMotionPA.
Individuals probably look forward to giving back for Earth Day every April 22, however it is less known that April 24 through 30 is also a cause for celebration. The last week of April annually marks J.T. Rothrock Memorial Conservation Week, dedicated to the first commissioner of the then Pennsylvania Forestry Commission (now the Bureau of Forestry), who championed the conservation and reforestation of Pennsylvania. What better time to join PPFF or a Friends Group for a tree planting event or becoming immersed in a state forest?
I Love My State Parks Week, with a soft launch in 2022, this national event celebrates the nation’s state parks. Kicking off on Mother’s Day, the event runs until May 16. Brought to you by the National Association of State Park Foundation, include the hashtags #ILoveMyStateParks, #ILoveMyStateParksWeek, and #NASPF.
To commemorate the 125th anniversary of PA’s state parks and forest in 2018, Governor Wolf proclaimed May 23 through 30 Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests Week. This is the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and show appreciation for all that Pennsylvania’s state parks and their forests provide.
Presented by the American Hiking Society, National Trails Day on June 4 is a day of service and advocacy for trails. Hike, bike, by paddle or saddle on any or multiple PA trails and share with the PPFF your favorite way to explore PA’s trails.
Help the PPFF kick off the new, annual week of volunteerism, called PA Healthy Lands Week, which begins with National Public Lands Day on September 24. Capture volunteer service on video and help to inspire stewardship in others. The week wraps up with A Walk in Penn’s Woods on Oct. 2.
Looking for even more inspiration to get outdoors in 2022, visit https://paparksandforests.org/. For more information about all PPFF upcoming events and more, sign up to receive PPFF’s weekly Take Five e-news and follow them on social media.
