Mark your calendars for the Great American Backyard Campout
June 28th will be this year’s nature awareness raising campout — and it all takes place seconds from your back door. Coleman and Disney are sponsoring the event, imagined by the National Wildlife Federation in 2005.
What is the Great American Backyard Campout?
The Great American Backyard Campout is your chance to camp with 20,000 of your closest friends in your own backyard. If that thought makes you want to flee to the nearest resort you can find, remember you actually only need to worry about yourself during the Great American Backyard Campout. The National Wildlife Federation wants to get 20,000 people camping this summer — but it will happen all around the nation, in backyards, parks and campgrounds. Camping is a fabulous way to appreciate nature, and the Federation wants to raise awareness about why nature conservation is so important.
Coordinating the campout
This is the ninth annual Great American Backyard Campout, and the National Wildlife Federation is making it easier than ever to track the participants. June 28th is the official day of the campout, but as long as you sign the pledge, your campout will count as part of the Federation’s goal of 20,000 campers.
Participating in the campout
How you choose to participate in this year’s event is entirely up to you! Camping out in your backyard with your kids is the simplest way to help the NWF, and it offers a wonderful chance to have a conversation with your children about why conservation is so important. Invite friends over or talk with people in the neighborhood about organizing something for your community — it’s a way to build relationships with your neighbors while raising awareness for an important cause. If you’d like to participate in a public event but are too busy to organize your own this year, check out the Public Events posted on the National Wildlife Federation site.
Fundraise for nature conservation — without leaving your backyard
Though your donations are always appreciated by the National Wildlife Federation, the Great American Backyard Campout isn’t a fundraiser in the traditional sense. You won’t be collecting money around the campfire, but your pledge to camp this summer will help raise money for wildlife conservation. For every person participating in the campout this year, friends of the Federation will donate $2, up to $400,000, for NWF’s wildlife conservation work. Purchasing a Great American Backyard Campout t-shirt is another way to contribute to the NWF’s conservation efforts (Shop NWF, $15-$20).
