Interior and Partners Promote Events, Outdoor Recreation Ahead of Veterans Day

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced a slate of veteran-led outdoor recreation events on public lands and waters in the week surrounding Veterans Day, developed with partner agencies of the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR). Alongside the events, Interior and partners published a new repository on Rec.gov — a single location where veterans, service members and military families can find information about many outdoor recreation opportunities across participating federal agencies. 

“Every American owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform and defended the freedoms we cherish. Those freedoms include the opportunity to explore and enjoy the incredible beauty of our great country,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “This Veterans Day, I’m especially grateful for the members of our Interior team who served in uniform and are continuing their service by helping military families and fellow veterans experience the public lands that belong to all Americans.” 

"This new article highlights opportunities for veterans that already existed, but were scattered across a dozen agency websites,” said FICOR Chair and Bureau of Land Management Director Stevan Pearce. “The FICOR is committed to continuing to make opportunities easier for veterans and military families to find.” 

Events include: 

• In our nation’s capital area of Washington, DC, the National Park Service is offering both a walking tour of the war memorials around the National Mall and a guided birding walk through the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Anacostia. 
• Just outside Denver, Colorado, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering an accessible wildlife loop walk and visitor center program on a former Army arsenal at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. 
• At Grandstaff Canyon in Moab, Utah, the Bureau of Land Management is hosting a veteran-led canyon hike. 
• In California, the Bureau of Reclamation is offering a fish hatchery tour, paired with a short riverside hike at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Cordova. 

Additional events are planned at Interior sites, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Pompeys Pillar National Monument in Montana, Steamtown National Historic Site in Pennsylvania and even a Veterans Family Fishing Classic in Wyoming, just to name a few.

Accessibility features served as a leading criteria for event sites, not an afterthought. Featured locations include accessible boardwalks and paved routes, indoor and visitor-center alternatives and facility tours that do not depend on weather or terrain.

To find the event nearest you, email: DOI_Veteran_Outdoor_Engagement_Initiative_Team@ios.doi.gov 

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