Join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal agencies for an opportunity for leaders of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to hear from you and other voices in the Hudson Valley about solutions for building a 21^st-century conservation and recreation agenda and for reconnecting people with the outdoors.

This past April at the White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America's Great Outdoors Initiative and directed the principal leaders of the Initiative to travel across the country to listen and learn from people directly involved in finding grassroots solutions to conserving our lands and waters and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors.  

Location: Marist College Student Center Poughkeepsie, NY

Registration: This event is free and open to the public. Please pre-register by Tuesday, August 3 by sending an email to joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov. Include your name, the name of the organization with which you are affiliated, if any, and your telephone number. Include in your email your primary area of interest by noting your 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd choice of the following Concurrent Breakout Listening Sessions:
1.      Conservation of working farms, forests, and coastal areas.
2.      Reconnecting people with the outdoors through recreation and education.
3.      Creating a healthy river: Conserving and restoring important habitat and blueways.
4.      General session for those who do not want to designate a specific topic.

If unable to attend in-person: Please submit your comments and stories via the America's Great Outdoors website at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

 Information: please contact Joseph Heller at (845) 883-7162, Extension 104 or joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov.