Great Outdoors Month

WHEREAS, Alabama is blessed with outstanding opportunities for safe and healthy fun in the Great Outdoors enjoying our natural splendors in the company of family and in the company of old and new friends; and

WHEREAS, biking, swimming, hiking, climbing, paddling, fishing, hunting, boating and many more activities help us enjoy the physically and mentally healthful benefits of outdoor recreation; and

WHEREAS, enjoyment of the Great Outdoors allows us to celebrate the commitment of our state to conserve and protect our air, water, wildlife and lands and contribute to conservation efforts through various licenses, taxes and fees; and

WHEREAS, recreationists are among the most active volunteers in Alabama, working on trails and in visitor centers and campgrounds, on ski slopes and removing invasive species, organizing outdoor programs and events and restoring habitat; and

WHEREAS, Great Outdoors Month includes diverse events designed to connect all of us to the outdoors, and especially our children and youth, including National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, Welcome to the Water on National Marina Day, National Get Outdoors Day, the Great American Backyard Campout and more; and

WHEREAS, the economic impact of outdoor recreation is both large and growing nationally, exceeding $650 billion in annual expenditures, and in our state, where it is estimated at $7.5 billion and supports some 86,000 jobs; and

WHEREAS, many of our important cultural and historic events and traditions are linked to places in our state which are parts of national, state and local park systems; and

WHEREAS, Great Outdoors Month allows us to celebrate the partnership of federal, state and local agencies, the recreation and tourism industries and recreationists who make outdoor recreation opportunities available, and adds new and needed features such as improved trails through the Recreational Trails Program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2013, as

Great Outdoors Month

in the state of Alabama and urge all citizens and visitors from other states and other lands to explore and enjoy, protect and conserve Alabama’s Great Outdoors.