AUGUSTA – Addressing an obesity epidemic in Maine children and finding ways to get them outdoors are the focus of this week’s conference on Youth and the Natural World.

Hosted by Gov. John Baldacci from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the conference will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Augusta Civic Center. Admission is $25 for adults, $10 for students. It includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

While open to the public, parents, educators, governmental representatives, and other leaders in health, child development and outdoor recreation are expected to participate.

“Children’s increasing disconnect from nature and decreasing participation in outdoor activities is fueling an obesity epidemic and threatening children’s physical and mental health,” Maine Department of Conservation Deputy Commissioner Eliza Townsend stated in a recent report.

“Statistics are alarming. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, youths between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 6 hours a day with electronic media, adding up to more than 45 hours a week. That’s equivalent to a full-time job,” she said.

Additionally, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, obesity in children increased from about 4 percent in the 1960s to nearly 20 percent in 2004.

Townsend said that a Maine CDC report indicated that overall obesity rates in the state have risen more than 100 percent in 17 years from 12 percent to 26 percent.

“These studies show that about one-quarter of Maine high school students are overweight and 36 percent of Maine kindergarteners” are at risk of being overweight, she said.

The conference will give participants the opportunity to learn from one another about efforts that have worked across Maine and how they can replicate those successes in their own communities.

Organizers also hope to teach parents and educators more about the importance of getting children outdoors, so that they will include more outside play and activities in home, community life and school curricula.

The keynote speaker is Larry Selzer of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He is also chief executive officer of The Conservation Fund.

Townsend said Selzer will address issues surrounding children’s increasing lack of connection to nature and decreasing participation in outdoor activities.

Another highlight is the premiere of the Maine Outdoor Youth Movie Festival, which was designed so children could express the importance of being outside through film.

The conference will also feature a climbing wall, a 3-D slide presentation titled “Nature Under Your Nose,” and the latest in “Tour Du Neighborhood” bicycles for attendees of all ages to try outside.

Registration is recommended. To register and for more information, visit www.take-it-outside.org or call 287-4960.