Army Corps to host Get Outdoors Day at Blue Marsh Lake

Published May 23, 2012
Kayakers explore Blue Marsh Lake on Get Outdoors Day in 2012.

Kayakers explore Blue Marsh Lake on Get Outdoors Day in 2012.

 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District will host Get Outdoors Day at Blue Marsh Lake on June 9th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors can enjoy free activities, including kayaking, fishing, dam control tower tours, biking, hiking, K9 demonstrations and visits from Bobber the Water Safety Dog and Smokey the Bear. Park Rangers and partner organizations will also hold a number of other water and outdoor safety programs throughout the day.

National Get Outdoors Day is a new annual event to encourage healthy and active outdoor fun. The goals of "GO Day" are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting youth to the great outdoors. Blue Marsh Lake’s activities celebrate National Trails Day, National Get Outdoors Day, and National Safe Boating Week. Forty-one partners are joining the Army Corps of Engineers at this year’s "GO Day."

Ms. Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, is planning to attend the event. Ms. Darcy oversees the civil functions of the United States Army, including the Corps of Engineers and its recreation program.

New annual pass for military

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District announced it will begin accepting the new Interagency Annual Pass for Military at Blue Marsh Lake.

Beginning on Armed Forces Day on May 19, service men and women and their dependents presenting the new Military Pass receive a fee waiver at Blue Marsh Lake’s Dry Brooks Day Use Area, Dry Brooks Boat Launch and State Hill Boat Launch (normally $3 fee per vehicle/$1 per person walk in charged from May 1 to September 30).

The Military Pass, which is free, may be obtained in person at U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facilities. Additional information on the Federal Recreation Pass can be found on the USGS website.

Military members and their dependents may also present a Department of the Defense Identification Card or Common Access Card (CAC) to receive the day-use fee waiver at USACE-managed day-use areas.

Blue Marsh Lake has more than 36 miles of trails, 1,147 acres of water surface, picnic areas, a beach and three boat launches. For more information, visit the Philadelphia District web site or the Blue Marsh Lake Facebook page


Contact
Steve Rochette
215-656-6432

Release no. 12-008