“The White House Cordially Invites You”

That’s what NOLS executive director John Gans saw in his e-mail inbox a few weeks ago. Yup, just your run-of-the-mill invitation . . . from the President of the U.S.A.! Needless to say, John said yes, and the big date is this Friday.

John’s going to have to shelf that Patagonia fleece for a few days and dust of his suit for his trip to D.C., where he and other reps of outdoor-oriented organizations and businesses are meeting with White House and agency officials for the very first White House Conference on the America’s Great Outdoors. The conference is designed to reconnect Americans and their families with our wild places. Not sure what the specific outcome will be, but here’s the press release.

Stay tuned for more details.