What a Billboard Sign! Got Kids?

Driving onto Russell St. in Baltimore City from I-295 about a week ago I spotted a billboard sign just like this one. It was across the street from the new Horseshoe Casino. (Ironic. On purpose?)

What a message! Which will it be? Virtual or the real thing–natural?

Here’s another one.

According to the signs, the sponsor is the U.S. Forest Service which has partnered with the non-profit Ad Council for purposes of public service announcements (PSAs) such as these billboards. The program is called “Discover the Forest.”

Memorable PSAs that might come to mind are Smokey Bear and “A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste.”

The Forest Service has a great website that helps you get your magic carpet ready to ride. Simply plug in your zipcode, and voila, a map pops up showing you the places you can transport yourself within a prescribed area around your house, or your grandkids’ house. Here’s a screenshot of the page.

There’s a page called WHAT TO DO – Start Your Own Adventures! Not much left up to chance when you use what’s offered as a gear checklist. There’s a Parent Guide, and tips on how to use a compass (for those who haven’t learned yet.)

On another page called ABOUT THE FOREST
Did You Know…, there are things to learn/re-learn before packing up, such as what the term Conservation means and what an Ecosystem is:”Find out about the different elements that make a forest, a forest.”

This venture has some powerful partners, including 20th Century Fox. Fox is launching a new series of PSAs “featuring scenes and characters from the animated feature Rio 2…the lovable Blu, Jewel, and their family of blue macaws on a journey to reconnect with their roots in the wilds of the Amazon, encouraging both parents and children to discover the adventure waiting in the forest.” What’s not to like?

Heard of the Children in Nature Network, another partner? Well, I had’t, but it’s linked at the “Discover the Forest” website. Richard Louv, the highly respected author and educator, is a columnist at its website. Louv wrote the seminal book used in many classrooms, and elsewhere: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. (2008 pub.)

Other venerable partners include the Natural Wildlife Federation and The Wilderness Society.

Sheesh, all of this to find out about from a billboard sign!

So, grab a child. Or your inner child. Or a grandchild.   And,……