CT DEEP Announces 2012 Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the 2012 Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint, a Connecticut  adventure to introduce families to the outdoors, build the next generation of environmental stewards, and showcase Connecticut’s state parks and forests over four weeks this spring.

The Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint is a central element of Connecticut’s No Child Left Insideinitiative. The game will take Connecticut families to four different state parks and forests this spring. Families can register for the game at www.NoChildLeftInside.org.

“We are bringing back the Great Park Pursuit for the seventh year and providing guided activities for families and friends to enjoy in the great outdoors,” said CT DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty. “These Spring Sprint activities will showcase Connecticut’s state parks and forests and will encourage participants to spend time in our 139 state parks and forests.”   

The Great Park Pursuit kicks off on Saturday, April 28, at Goodwin State Forest in Hampton and concludes on May 19. The event runs from 9 am until 3 pm, and teams can arrive at any point within this timeframe to enjoy the activities planned for the day. Teams will receive a No Child Left Insidebracelet, which must be worn to each Great Park Pursuit event to ensure free admission to the venue.

Clues to activities and locations of the contest will be available at the end of each week’s activity and on the No Child Left Inside website. At each location, teams will be asked to complete a series of activities that highlight the opportunities in Connecticut’s state parks and forests such as hiking, canoeing, fishing, birding, and more.

The name of each week’s featured state park or forest will be posted on the DEEP website by noon on Friday. Each week during the course of the pursuit, three clues will be provided. Clues will be revealed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, at 5 pm each day.

All teams that participate in all four events and earn the necessary patches at each of the events will receive a 2012 Connecticut State Park and Forest Pass. The contest is open to families, which must include one person 18 or over and one person under the age of 18.

“The No Child Left Inside initiative and The Great Park Pursuit contest are fun and exciting programs but there is a serious side to it all,” said Mr Esty. “Today’s youngsters do not get outside enough. We need to encourage youngsters to love the outdoors and our natural resources. If we fail in this mission, there will be few adults in the future willing to speak up and fight for our environment.”

No Child Left Inside was introduced in 2006 and is designed to reconnect children with the outdoors, showcase the recreational opportunities available in Connecticut’s state parks and forests, and build the next generation of environmental stewards.

There will be one bonus visitation spot: Weir Farm on the Ridgefield/Wilton border. Teams are encouraged to visit Connecticut’s only National Historic Site and take part in “art in the park.” 

All events for the 2012 Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint are free of charge and open to the public.