A group of outdoor enthusiasts had a thought in 2001-- too many Pittsburghers weren't seeing the forest for the trees, the water for the rivers, lakes and streams, the majestic mountains for the rocks.

That was the basis for their forming Venture Outdoors, a nonprofit group that organizes activities to help Pittsburghers realize the variety of the environmental splendor we inhabit.

The first event the group held was a festival on Washington's Landing in 2001; that year they offered 20 programs for the initial 100 members.

Today, eight years later, the organization has grown to 6,300 members with a goal of 6,500 by month's end. Moreover, it's experienced a more than a 50 percent jump in membership since May of 2008. It's now servicing 30,000 people annually by sponsoring 550 public programs ranging from kayaking to hikes to fishing. The average age of participants is in the 40s but there are youth programs serving 3,000 children and adolescents.

It may be the economy that has spurred the latest leap in participation, officials say. National Park leaders, for example, have seen a 4 percent increase in visitors to parks this summer and believe the economic slowdown is keeping people close to home.

Venture Outdoors also appears to be the only program like this in the country that offers such a wide array of outdoor activities, said Sean Brady, assistant executive director.

"People have caught on. A shift is taking place. We're actually getting calls from other cities across the United States for us to go and do this in their cities," he said. "We tell them we haven't finished our work here yet."

A staff of 13 operates on an annual budget of $1.2 million.

"Our unspoken goal is to leave no Pittsburgher inside -- kids, seniors, families and individuals," said Sean Brady, assistant executive director. "And having fun while doing it, meeting other people. Everything we do is very social.

"Of course, our underlying goal is to be more comfortable outdoors and to develop an appreciation for the natural world."

Mr. Brady said the group organized to remind the region's residents of what a great area they live in, to rediscover the joys of the outdoors.

"We formed because we felt Pittsburghers needed help in discovering what's so close to home. Oftentimes, the first couple of steps is the hardest if you've gotten out of participating in outdoor activities and forgotten how to do them. This is a very good way to start, to reconnect with the joys of childhood," he said.

Events are held in city and state parks in Pittsburgh and in counties throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Events are varied, including hiking, fishing, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, snowshoeing, camping and backpacking, among others.

There are morning "perk up" hikes to the Strip District and morning kayaking on the rivers. Some hikes have beverage themes, such as soup-of-the-day. This being Pittsburgh, there are even beer tasting hikes.

About 20 people typically participate in many of the outings but upward of 75 participants take part in "fireworks paddles," in which kayakers watch pyrotechnics from the city's rivers.

"When we started, no one could envision a kayak rental facility that is now serving 15,000 people a year," he said.

A festival is planned for Saturday at Allegheny Commons park in the North Side, a family event with as many as 1,000 people expected to take part in all sorts of activities such as kayaking on Lake Elizabeth to a climbing wall, to art activities from the Andy Warhol Museum the Mattress Factory and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

There will be all kinds of critters -- from bugs that will race in a bug "petting zone," to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's polar bear mascot and Smokey the Bear. And there will be geocaches, a sport in which participants use hand-held global positioning systems, or GPS units, to find "treasures" such as small flashlights.

The festival is part of the nonprofit's Family and Community Programs initiative, which is new this summer. The initiative aims to provide urban kids and families with family-centered activities and free festivals in their own neighborhoods

"Venture outdoors is unique in the scope of our activities," Mr. Brady said. "Some of the work we're doing will serve as a model nationally for enacting change."