Obama designates Sea Otter venue a National Monument • Participation in outdoor recreation hits highest level in five years • 2XU supplies Omega Pharma-Quick Step with compression gear
WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) Wednesday April 25 2012 8:45 AM MT—President Obama on Friday signed a proclamation designating the U.S. Army's former Fort Ord as a National Monument. The former military base now has 86 miles of trails and is used for much of the race course for the Sea Otter Classic.
“Fort Ord’s dramatic landscape lives in the memories of thousands of veterans as their first taste of Army life, as a final stop before deploying to war, or as a home base during their military career. This national monument will not only protect one of the crown jewels of California’s coast, but will also honor the heroism and dedication of men and women who served our nation and fought in the major conflicts of the 20th century,” Obama said in a statement.
Fort Ord has more than 100,000 visitors annually and serves as an economic engine for the community. A White House press release noted that Fort Ord hosts "the annual Sea Otter Classic, one of the largest bicycling events in the world with approximately 10,000 athletes and 50,000 spectators every year."
The Fort Ord National Monument will be managed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management and become part of the BLM's 27-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System.
Photo: President Barack Obama signs a proclamation regarding the establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument, in the Oval Office, April 20, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Herbert)
Participation in outdoor recreation hits highest level in five years
WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) Wednesday April 25 2012 8:57 AM MT—Last year more Americans participated in outdoor recreation activities than in any of the past five years, according to a new report published by The Outdoor Foundation.
The increase in outdoor recreation continued a five-year trend.
“This report shows that Americans are getting up and getting outside — a great trend for the outdoor community and the country,” said Christine Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation. “We are encouraged by the growing population of active young people, which reflects recent efforts to re-engage and re-inspire America’s youth to get outdoors.”
The most popular activities among young people, in terms of overall participation, continued to be running, biking, camping, fishing and hiking. Skateboarding, triathlons and bird-watching were among their top five favorite activities as measured by frequency.
The Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report is published annually by The Outdoor Foundation with research support from the Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. The data is derived from almost 40,000 online interviews conducted in January 2012 and early February 2012.
The report is available for free at outdoorfoundation.org.
2XU supplies Omega Pharma-Quick Step with compression gear
MELBOURNE, Australia (BRAIN) 2XU, which already sponsors and supplies the GreenEDGE Cycling and BMC Racing Teams, has now been nominated the exclusive partner of Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team.
The agreement will see 2XU compression apparel worn by all Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team athletes, including Tom Boonen, Levi Leipheimer, Gerald Ciolek, and Sylvain Chavanel.
All cyclists will wear 2XU compression for training and recovery.
