Go! Bismarck Mandan will kick off a new concept to help families move more. It’s called Adventure Walks and the first Adventure Walk event will officially begin at the Dakota Zoo on April 30, the Dakota Zoo’s 2011 summer season opening day.
Children of all ages and their moms, dads and caregivers are invited to take a walk at 10:00 a.m. with Rosie, the Prairie Rose State Games mascot, and Dr. Steven McDonough, a Bismarck pediatrician and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
Adventure Walks at the Zoo will use global positioning system (GPS) devices to discover clues that will lead them to discover more clues while walking throughout the Zoo. The GPS devices are free for participants to use for the walk and can be checked out for the day at the Zoo entrance. Families who participate in an Adventure Walk will also receive a goodie bag of ideas and suggestions on other ways to have a healthy lifestyle.
Go! Bismarck Mandan is also partnering with Mandan Parks and Recreation District to host GPS-guided Adventure Walks starting from the Mandan Brave Center. The Mandan Adventure walks will begin later in the spring.
Go! Bismarck Mandan Chair Wendy Anderson-Berg notes, “You don’t need a GPS machine to take an adventure walk. You can find adventure by walking right outside your back door and around your neighborhood. Adventure Walking is for all ages and abilities, helps families maintain healthy weight and connect with the great outdoors.”
Go! Bismarck Mandan will provide pediatricians and family practice physicians, childcare providers, and families written materials with ideas for Adventure Walks to take with their children, locations of neighborhood parks and community fitness centers and walking trails, and importance of daily physical activity.
Go! Bismarck Mandan, with nearly 20 organization partners including the City of Bismarck and Bismarck Burleigh Public Health, has a mission to measurably improve the health, fitness and quality of life of all people in Bismarck and Mandan by creating a supportive culture and environment through a coordinated approach.