outdoors

Plans for a Treetop Walk at Tom Hanafan Rivers Edge Park are moving forward thanks to $5 million in private donations.

A Vermont Boy Scouts camp is expected to change hands but stay as open land.The Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Outright Vermont have announced a purchase and sales agreement for Camp Sunrise. It is a nearly 150-acre piece of lakefront property in Addison and Rutland counties, currently owned by the GMC.Outright, which works to build safe and affirming communities for LGBTQ+ youth, said it is cautiously optimistic it will buy the land that sits in the towns of Orwell and Benson to expand its overnight summer camp called Camp Outright.Currently, Camp Outright operates on rented space, where the nonprofit told NBC5 News it has had to turn away more than 100 kids in recent summers. Outright Vermont’s executive director, Dana Kaplan, said owning the Camp Sunrise property would allow the organization to offer more programming to more youth, including new day camp experiences.In an interview Wednesday with NBC5 News, Kaplan said more such opportunities are seriously needed for LGBTQ+ youth, who are looking to simply be themselves in affirming atmospheres while forging supportive friendships with peers who have had similar experiences.”This is actually filling a gap that exists in our country right now,” Kaplan said. “There’s only a handful of LGBTQ-specific camps. I remember walking down the street and running into a neighbor, who happens to be a therapist, who said, ‘Your camp did more for my client in five days than I’ve been able to do for them in an entire year.’ It’s that type of transformation that we know that young people need, and we’re positioned to be able to help make it happen.”Kaplan said the acquisition process will take some time and will mean fundraising and construction upgrades. Outright Vermont announced it is working with the Vermont Land Trust, which is helping with some of the details of the transaction.In a statement, the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America said the deal is consistent with its mission.”Working with Outright Vermont aligns with the GMC’s goal to conserve the natural landscape of the property and ensures Camp Sunrise will endure as a safe place where youth from Vermont and beyond can gain a powerful sense of belonging needed to grow into responsible community members,” wrote Mark Saxon, the Scout executive and CEO of GMC.Kaplan emphasized that he wants neighbors to know Outright is not looking to make any changes to public access to Lake Sunset, and will welcome continued public access for recreation there.

The Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park held its annual Wild About Blue fundraising event with a goal of forty thousand dollars to be raised. Partygoers enjoyed some cuisine at The Wishing Well while donating to their year-round education model.

In this video, we delve into the heart of our cancer campaign, an endeavor fueled by compassion, unity, and the unwavering belief that together, we can ignite hope in the face of adversity. Join us as we share the inspiring stories of cancer survivors, caregivers, and champions of this cause.Discover the meaningful activities and events that have brought our community together, all with the common goal of supporting organizations like the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) in their mission to alleviate the burden of cancer.From charity fundraisers to awareness campaigns, we’re committed to raising awareness and vital funds to empower those fighting this battle. Together, we strive to ensure that no one faces cancer alone.Join us in our journey to create a brighter, more hopeful future for cancer patients and their families. Share it with your friends to spread the message of hope and unity.Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can ignite hope. 💪🎗️Special Thanks to:- South East Asia Team- Murni Discovery- Kampungku Retreat- AUTAN- Active Bugs- All About Camping Malaysia (AACM)- @NCSMalaysia #IgnitingHope #CancerCampaign #CommunitySupport #NCSM #TogetherAgainstCancer #AllAboutCampingMalaysia #AACM #SouthEastAsiaTeam #AUTAN #KampungkuRetreat #CampingForCancer #ActiveBugs #MurniDiscovery

The San Antonio Zoo is holding its 38th annual Zoo Run for both adults and kids.

I attempt Killarneys Northwest loop as seen in Kevin Callan’s book, Killarney and the French River.I complete this over 90km canoe trip in record time.New Merch here! https://www.bunkerbranding.com/pages/joe-robinetInstagram https://instagram.com/joerobinetbushcraft/https://twitter.com/robinet_joe

A new public skate park has opened up in Ellicottville for skaters

Through the years Bike and Build volunteers have ridden over 10 million miles, volunteered over 255,000 hours and helped raise nearly $7 million for affordable housing.

Skiers and snowboarders enjoyed their final hours on the slopes Saturday, during the nonprofit ski area’s first-ever May opening

Im not sure I caught a fish last year.

The Trust for Public Land nonprofit announced it acquired more than 31,000 acres from timber company Conservation Resources for $30 million.

A Family Travel JourneyMachu Picchu and Lake TiticacaThe main attraction of the trip with my family was visiting Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is an ancient Inka Citadel built in the 1400s. It gained international attention in 1911 when explorer Hiram Bingham discovered the city.We arrived a day early at Machu Picchu because of transportation strike scheduled for two days. There were no buses, taxis, or trains running during the strike. Strikers were protesting the rising gas and food prices. The people of Peru work very hard and cannot afford to feed their families. Striking during the Easter holiday with a record number of tourists is a way to get the government’s attention. Many tourists could not get to a Machu Picchu for their tours because of the strike.We took the Peru Rail train ride from Ollantaytambo through the Andes Mountains. The train ride is about an hour and a half. During Covid, there is no food service on the train, and masks were required.Rolling into Machu Picchu between steep, untouched mountains on the train is magical. The small town of Aguas Calientes is a hidden gem tucked into the mountains.Michael, Jonathan, and Emily went back a second day to hike Huayna Picchu. There are very steep and narrow parts of the hike. It took them about 3 hours to hike it. Lucas, Henry, and I stayed back at the hotel with Milo, my dad, and Kay.We waited around the hotel for a couple of hours to hear if the trains would run at all. We were told they would not so we checked back into our hotel rooms for an extra night in Aguas Calientes. About 30- minutes after we checked in, our guide, Pedro came to our hotel and told us evacuation trains were running that night to get guests back to Ollantaytambo.We grabbed our bags and went to the train station. We waited for an hour and thirty minutes to board a train back to Ollantaytambo. We were given priority because of Milo and my dad, and Kay. The train left at 9 pm. We arrived in Ollantaytambo at about 11 pm and had another two-hour ride to our hotel in Cusco. We checked into our Cusco hotel at 1 am. Milo was wide awake. We got 4 hours of sleep before we had to board another bus to Puno.Our first stop was on the floating island of Uruo. There are hundreds of floating islands in Lake Titicaca that are inhabited. The people on the island fish, hunt and make most of their money through tourism. The island we stopped on had six families living on it. We were greeted by the president of the island. A president is elected once a year.The president, Jesus, gave a presentation about how the island is constructed &how they maintain it. The island floats on the roots of reeds. Dried reeds are layered on top of the roots as a floor. Reeds must be added to the floor every couple of weeks.We learned about how they cook. We got to see inside their homes and try on traditional clothing. There are schools on some of the islands, but many children go to school on the mainland in Puno. The islands do have electricity generated from solar panels.Our next stop was an hour and forty-minute boat ride to Taquile island. Our guide is from Amantani Island, across from Taquile. Taquile has 2,700 inhabitants. The president of this island greeted us when we came to the island. That is one of his jobs. The president is elected once a year at a meeting. He is not paid for the job. Most islanders have to make the hike up to the top of the island with heavy loads on their backs.Our guide told us about the traditions of the island. The people on Taquile speak Quechua &wear traditional clothing. Five different hats are worn by the men to represent their status:The president wears two hats (Presidents’ sons wear a special hat too, even if they are not married).Past presidents wear a unique hat.Married men have a hat.Single boys looking for a match wear a specific type of hat (the tighter the weaving, the more it stands up and the better his prospects).There are hats for young boys and girls.Women cut their hair twice in their lives. The first time is to provide hair for her husband to weave into his belt. The second time is to make extensions that the husband wears during celebrations and important ceremonies.We saw and participated in a traditional dance show. We ate a delicious lunch overlooking the lake. We also saw demonstrations of how they make shampoo and soap from plants & how they weave.We took a nice walk along the island &saw sheep and families. It was a lovely day, & we are honored to get a glimpse into the lives of these islanders. The next day we said goodbye to my dad, Kay, my sister, &her family. It was a busy & exciting eight days. They flew to Lima for one day before heading home. We got organized &headed to the border & Bolivia!www.gowatkinsgo.com