Outdoor Reads: How much booze at events is too much? Are colleges focusing on getting kids outdoors?

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will soon be churning out a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts thanks to the construction of an Outdoor Adventures Center on campus. The center, which will be finished this winter, includes both indoor and outdoor climbing walls, a bike shop, bike maintenance area and several classrooms for survival and safety courses, according to this story.

• Maybe the outdoor industry ought to collectively thank Nebraska in general for all its efforts to promote outdoor recreation. This post reports Nebraska’s Game and Parks Department is offering $100,000 in marketing grants to promote outdoor recreation. State officials said they recognize what a cash cow outdoor recreation is – it brings more than $1.7 billion into the state’s economy. If you’re located in Nebraska, see if you qualify. The application deadline is October 31 and grants will be awarded Nov. 22.

• Pit bulls haven’t gotten the best of reputations lately, but turns out, according to this story, they are pretty awesome outdoorsy pups. The story chronicles the tale of Tank, a pit bull rescued from a farm that became his owner’s favorite outdoor pal.

• Nothing can ruin an epic hike faster than a medical mystery. This Arizona Daily Sun story features the story of one couple that attempted to hike along the Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada but had to cut the trip short because one of them suffered some mysterious heart symptoms doctors still haven’t been able to diagnose. Though this year’s epic hike attempt had to end, the pair has plans to do it again next summer. Check out their blog, too.

• Back when our beloved Salvagetti Bicycles was located off Platte and 16th streets in Denver, it had a coffee window, but we don’t see the same thing at its new digs off 38th Avenue. Salvagetti may have been part of a trend of bicycle shops adding more bells and whistles – like coffee shops – to its operations in an effort to attract more business. Check out this MSN story about the phenomenon, which is fueled by an increasing number of folks commuting by bicycle and their never-ending desire for a high-quality cup o’ joe.

• The boys over at Oboz Footwear recently wrote this op-ed for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle about how development and environmental conservation need to be more balanced. For example, we need to hold our government accountable for why it’s leasing four times more public land for oil drilling than ever before. It’s all about balance, they wrote. They’re not against energy development but if there’s going to be more of it, they’d like to see more of an effort to address conservation and land protection.

• Let’s be honest: This industry is horrid for a person’s sobriety. We can’t have an event, a meeting or a product unveiling without a little booze. But how much is too much? This Forbes story addresses that very topic and reports the guidelines from various entities about how much we actually should be drinking. Plus it reports on the added perks of drinking certain types of wines.

• Chris Fanning from the Outdoor Foundation recently told SNEWS the No. 1 reason people decide to get involved in outdoor activities is to get active. Stories like this one in a California college newspaper about how a program called Outdoor Pursuits (which takes students on outdoor pursuits) help people up their fitness levels are what must get them motivated. Sonoma State is actively improving its Adventure Programs department to get more of its students exercising outdoors. Perhaps it’s a trend that colleges across the U.S. are focusing more on getting more young adults outdoors.

• You are NEVER too old to make your dreams come true. That’s the message Swimmer Diana Nyad, 64, gave right after becoming the first person to successfully swim the 110-miles from Cuba to the Florida coast. Talk about an incredible endurance athlete. Turns out she’s motivating people in her age group to get more active indoors and out as this story reports.

Did you read anything interesting this week? Email it to us because we want to read it too.