Highland County Recreation Commission Promotes Outside Activity Challenge

The Highland County Recreation Commission is offering the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge for 2021.  The concept is simple, just go outside and be active.

Jessy Wilfong is the Director of the Highland County Recreation Commission.

“This is simply encouragement and not a competition,” says Wilfong.  “We don’t have any incentives for it.  The 1000 Hours Outside is about striving for engaged time outside and that looks different from one family to the next.  That’s the beauty of nature play, it works for any age, in any state, in any outdoor environment.  We just want to see people get outdoors.  Especially during this pandemic right now a lot has been stuff indoors and we’re just really wanting to get people outdoors and active.   It’s very important for mental health, physical health, emotional health.  Especially with COVID-19 right now it’s very essential to get outdoors, get your vitamin D in.   No matter what, you’re not going to regret committing to a year filled with making memories outside.”

There are tracker charts available to help you keep up with your hours.  Hard copies are available at the Monterey and McDowell Post Offices.  Trackers are also available on the Highland County Recreation Commission Facebook page and on their website.

“You don’t even necessarily have to sign up,” says Wilfong.  “There is no competition for it.  We’re just wanting to encourage participation and if you’d like to track your hours that would be great and we would love to see the trackers.  I would love to offer an incentive for it by the end of the year, but we’ll have to wait and see how that goes.”

Any activity where you are outside and active counts.

“I have been posting on our Facebook page daily activities ranging in anything from bird watching to photography, biking, hiking,” says Wilfong.   “It looks different from one family to the next.  So one family may just be farming outside.  That’s getting outside, getting fresh air and being active.  I’m posting daily on there to give everyone different ideas of maybe something they didn’t think about that you could actually get outside and go do.  Here in Highland County, we have so much land and beauty that we truly need to take advantage of it.”

For more information visit the Highland County Recreation Commission Facebook page or their website www.highlandcountyrecreation.org