Unplug For A Day - Connect To An Active Lifestyle

Online, May 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Finally something to make getting outdoors easier! All around town, people are noticing FamiliesOutdoors.Org on billboards, buses, bus shelters, and 50,000 refrigerator magnets being distributed through schools, public libraries, and parks over the next two months. The message promotes family togetherness, a healthy lifestyle, and environmental stewardship.

What do Dodge Nature Center, Maplewood Nature Center, MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR), MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi River Fund, National Park Service, Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, REI, Tamarack Nature Center, Three Rivers Park District, and Woodlake Nature Center have in common? They all sponsor outdoor activities that are now consolidated for one-stop shopping at a new website, FamiliesOutdoors.Org.

The new website is a free service of Jeffers Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Wayzata. The mission of Jeffers is to teach children to preserve what we have for present and future generations-environmental stewardship of water, land, and air.

Why the need? Starting in 2009, Jeffers Foundation directors, Mike Fairbourne and Dar Fosse, with extensive backgrounds in meteorology and education, interviewed businesses, parks, and nature centers to discuss ways in which Jeffers could develop outdoor family activities. These interviews culminated in the selection of a focus group. The group included 14 representatives from the DNR and State Parks, nature centers and parks, and businesses specializing in recreational equipment and services.

The focus group soon discovered that activities are already available but few people know about them. Jason Sanders, Director of Horace Dodge Nature Center in St. Paul, put it best, "We are the best kept secret in town. People drive by us and don't even know we're here."

After several meetings of the focus group discussing the development of new programs, Paul Oberg, CEO of Jeffers Foundation, came up with the idea for a single resource that would consolidate available activities. Sliced and diced by the Families Outdoors database, it is now possible to find activities by type, location, date, weather conditions, and cost (many are free). The new website makes finding the right outdoor activity for your family much easier.

Jeffers Foundation was funded in May 2005. It accepts no contributions but operates solely on the income from the residue of the estate of Robert W. Jeffers, a former resident of Prior Lake. Best known for work in developing educational materials that assist teachers with science and environmental education, Jeffers also conducts workshops to teach teachers and parents how to use them. All educational materials and workshops are provided free of cost.