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Talk of the Bay
Camp out for a night
By STEVE HUETTEL
Published June 12, 2006
If painfully high gas prices have you rethinking summer vacation plans, an environmental group suggests an alternative: Pitch a tent and spend a night with the kids in your back yard. The National Wildlife Federation is urging families to take part in its second annual Great American Backyard Campout on June 24. "In today's high-tech world, children and families are losing touch with nature and the outdoors,'' the federation said in a news release last week. "How can the virtual world compare to the fun of chasing fire flies on a summer evening or falling asleep listening to the nocturnal sounds of Mother Nature?'' Last year, more than 32,000 families participated in the inaugural event designed to help people get reacquainted with nature or enjoy it for the first time. The Web site www.backyardcampout.com provides nighttime photography tips and guides to identifying nocturnal critters and constellations. How can an iPod, Game Boy or cell phone compete? One more advantage: You won't have to keep hearing the kids whine, "How long until we get there?'' - STEVE HUETTEL, Times staff writer
[Last modified June 12, 2006, 06:27:51]
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