NDOW presents the Nevada Wild Podcast · Nevada Department of Wildlife

NDOW's Take 17 - The New 10,000 Steps

·28 min·2 clips

Bobby Jones explains how a 2019 Nature study led to the quirky 17-minute outdoor goal.

This episode of Nevada Wild features hosts Ashley Sanchez and Aaron Keller with guest Bobby Jones, the Outdoor Connection Coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. They introduce the department's new "Take 17" public health campaign, which encourages people to spend 17 minutes outdoors daily. The campaign is based on a 2019 study in *Nature Scientific Reports* that found 120 minutes of weekly nature exposure improves health and well-being. Bobby Jones explains that dividing 120 minutes by seven days yields roughly 17 minutes per day, making the goal more digestible than a larger weekly target. The campaign aims to reduce barriers to outdoor activity by emphasizing that any outdoor time counts, from walking and gardening to simply sitting on a park bench. A striking statistic shared is that 44% of Americans aged six and older do not recreate outdoors even once a year, with walking counting as recreation. The hosts discuss how the campaign will roll out with social media hashtags, a website resource hub, and a partner toolkit developed with the Abbey Agency to help other organizations promote the message. They plan a future community challenge where participants log their daily "Take 17" activities and report on their well-being. An interesting insight is that the number 17 visually resembles the shape of the state of Nevada, which could inspire future campaign graphics. The conversation reveals that the average American spends about seven hours daily on screens, contrasting sharply with the modest 17-minute outdoor goal. Bobby Jones connects low outdoor engagement to broader challenges in conservation, arguing that people who never go outside are less likely to care about protecting natural spaces. The episode includes a lighthearted quiz where the hosts guess statistics on mental illness and obesity rates to underscore the potential health benefits of outdoor time. The tone is conversational, educational, and encouraging, focusing on practical advice rather than extreme outdoor pursuits. Listeners interested in public health, simple wellness habits, or community-based nature initiatives would enjoy this episode. Those seeking highly technical discussions on wildlife biology or specific outdoor sports might find the content too introductory.

As heard by us

A plainspoken outdoor habit pitch that ties everyday movement to conservation.

Nevada Wild keeps the pitch plain: spend 17 minutes outside each day, ideally in nature, and treat it as a habit that fits into real life. Ashley Sanchez, Aaron Keller, and Bobby Jones keep the talk grounded with examples like a walk, a lunch break, or other ordinary outdoor…

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Why you'd press play

Seventeen minutes outside starts sounding easy, not aspirational, and that is the point.

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