Grab your binoculars, put on your hiking boots, and take the family outdoors – its time for Austin Nature Days again this April. This event is marking its fourth year as an annual, area-wide celebration of spring by helping the community rediscover the beauty, vitality and diversity of the Central Texas landscape.

On Tuesday, April 1st a media event at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum on Robert E. Lee Road will kick off the 4th annual Austin Nature Days. From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., individuals from several participating organizations will provide descriptions of their activities and distribute maps of the area.

“It has been a pleasure to see the event grow from year to year” said Nancy Woolley with the Friends of Bright Leaf, adding “We are very excited to have the Austin American-Statesman as a sponsor this year to help increase community awareness for Austin Nature Days.” An insert in the March 27 edition of the paper will provide a map and guide to the events around town.

More than twenty-five organizations annually participate in Austin Nature Days, adding their events and special programs to an online calendar at www.austinnaturedays.org making it easy for residents to find the perfect outing for them.

The greater Austin area has an amazing wealth of natural spaces, from wildlands to parks and creek side walks to caving underground. Whether it’s another bird for the life list, the discovery of a new favorite picnic spot, a child’s first fishing experience, a walk inside a butterfly garden, or an interpretive hike into endangered species habitat, it’s out there to be experienced.

“Many locations have a lot to offer in terms of an outdoor experience even though their main mission isn’t environmental,” says Nelie Plourde, Curator of the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. “We have been thrilled to welcome so many year after year who fall in love with our gardens in a new way through this event.”

Three years ago, a coalition of organizations focused on appreciation of nature in the Austin area created Austin Nature Day, a one-day event dedicated to celebrating outdoor resources that contribute to Austin’s high quality of life. The group quickly realized that one day was not enough to showcase the vitality, beauty and diversity of these resources - Austin Nature Day has now grown to include the whole month of April and adopted a new name: Austin Nature Days: It’s Out There!

Austin Nature Days encompasses the many different activities taking place out-of-doors across Austin and surrounding communities in April. Patterned after the highly successful Austin Museum Day, Austin Nature Days is a collaborative effort of more than three dozen (and growing!) organizations in the Greater Austin area offering opportunities to experience and enjoy the unique open spaces and natural places that make Austin the vibrant natural city that it is.

For more information, visit www.austinnaturedays.org, which includes a growing list of events that will be offered in April.