Unplug: Oklahoma's Ouachita Forest, Beavers Bend Folk Festival

Today, is Woodsy Owl's 40th Birthday! Born on September 15, 1971, he influenced an entire generation - Generation X - to take care of the environment.

The occasion gives me a good excuse to write about a really cool public awareness campaign (pro bono from Turbine) the USDA Forest Service and Ad Council kicked off in June. It's goal is to reconnect families and kids with nature.

That was a small feat in Oklahoma this summer. We endured raging wildfires and 86 days (50 consecutive) over 100 degrees. Now that temperatures are cooling and we have a couple months of fall ahead of us I'm planning a trip to the Ouachita National Forest located in Southeast Oklahoma to see fall foliage and attend the Beavers Bend Folk Festival and Craft Show. The kids are very excited.

Jim and Kim Landsford, Beavers Bend Folk Festival | The Oklahoma Arts Council helps fund this event.

I want my kids to love nature and exploration. I want to nurture their imaginations and I want to teach them about public lands and the environmental stewardship Woodsy Owl helped teach me. I don't want them to become addicts of electronics. I want them to be able to unplug with ease and the expectation of something more exciting than digital connectivity. Even though we make a conscious effort toward these things, we are still an incredibly wired up family via the TV, streaming videos and laptops.

Beavers Bend Folk Festival, November 11-13, 2011 | Ouachita Forest, Southeast Oklahoma.

Did you know kids in the U.S. spend 50 percent less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago? Research shows that children who play outside have a reduced risk for obesity, lower stress levels, more active imaginations and they’re more likely to become environmentally conscious adults.

The USDA's campaign encourages kids and their parents to visit Discover The Forest. The site has an interactive map tool, powered by Google and Nature Find™ that enables users to search for nearby forests and parks, as well as downloadable activities for them to print and take with them when they visit.

You can also visit the campaign's online communities on facebook.com/DiscoverTheForest, YouTube.com/DiscoverTheForest and twitter.com/cheecker.

Visit the Oklahoma Forestry Service on Facebook and Twitter, too. 

About Woodsy Owl

For 40 years, Woodsy has served as an important anti-pollution symbol across the United States. He belongs to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Services and is a protected symbol under Public Law 93-318.