Let The Games Begin: 2010 Bay Game Activity Book Available This Week

Annapolis, MD (July 12, 2010) — In celebration of Maryland’s wealth of natural resources, its history and our children, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has published the 2010 Maryland Bay Game: Celebrating Children & Our Natural World – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. The free, colorful booklet is en route to libraries, state parks, visitor centers and retail outlets across the State.

“Maryland’s abundant natural areas provide unparalleled educational and recreational opportunities for our children,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “The Bay Game is a fun and engaging guide that helps Maryland families enjoy our natural world while instilling values of responsibility and awareness in our next generation of stewards.”

Families can enjoy hours of outdoor fun with the 13th edition of the annual activity book, which is filled with activities, puzzles and information to help children learn about the world around them. Based on Governor O’Malley’s Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, the Bay Game adds a history theme this year to encourage children to play outdoors, learn about their culture and heritage and be inspired to try new activities such as hiking, exploring, fishing and camping.

Beginning this week, families can pick up a copy of the Bay Game at their local library, a State Park, Prime Outlets in Queenstown, Westfield Annapolis Mall, Marley Station Mall’s Kids’ Club, Destination Maryland in Harbor Place, the Chesapeake Children’s Museum in Annapolis or at any Maryland visitor or tourist center.

Sponsors of this year’s Bay Game include the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Giant Food, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Outdoorbasecamp.com, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Chesapeake & Coastal Program, United States Environmental Protection Agency and Maryland Correctional Enterprises.

The Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights is part of the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature, which was established by Governor O’Malley in 2008 to ensure that young people have the opportunity to connect with their natural world and grow to become informed and responsible stewards.
 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov.