New UW Extension Program Encourages Outdoor Exploration
Maya Gilmore, University of Wyoming Extension
Published October 12, 2025
New UW Extension Program Encourages Outdoor Exploration
In 2024, the University of Wyoming Extension created a new program designed to inspire outdoor adventures and encourage families to spend time together.
The “Ready, Set, Explore” program is a free annual program open to all Wyoming residents. It’s not just for parents with young children, explains Josh Bliss, one of the program’s organizers. Any group of people who care about each other can participate.
From October 2024 to April 2025, registered participants received a list of activities every month via email. Each packet included an outdoor activity, tips about health and nature, a handout on a natural resource, a snack idea, and a journal prompt.
The activities are designed to help families to connect to each other and to nature. November’s activities, for example, included creating a fall wreath, reading a book about nature, and going on a gratitude walk.
“Reading, health, movement, snacks, and time together [are] so important for our family and the activities help us do all of that! It gives our oldest tricks and activities to use when she babysits other families too,” comments participant Lexie Scherr.
Ready, Set, Explore is led by UW Extension educators Bliss, Gretchen Gasvoda, Dagan Montgomery, Jedidiah Hewlett, Joddee Jacobsen, and Hailey Sorg.
Bliss emphasizes the program’s flexibility. “You have the freedom to do these activities at your own pace throughout the month,” he says.
Participants can receive a small outdoors-themed prize every month for completing at least four activities and reflecting on their experience with these activities.
Families who participate in Ready, Set, Explore for at least four of the seven months are awarded an annual day-use pass for Wyoming state parks. The pass covers day-use fees for one vehicle for all Wyoming state parks and historic sites. It does not cover other fees, such as camping fees.
The organizers of Ready, Set, Explore look forward to running the program again in 2025.
“Ready, Set, Explore gave families a reason to slow down, step outside, and connect—with nature and with each other,” says Sorg. “We’ve heard from participants how much joy and calm it brought to their busy lives, and we’re excited to bring that back in 2025.”
The Ready, Set, Explore program is supported by Wyoming State Parks, Wyoming’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management.
To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/ready-set-site. Contact Bliss at (307) 235-9400 or jbliss2@uwyo.edu for more information.
