Americas national parks are known for their scenic beauty and rich historical resources, but a West Virginia University professor is helping to highlight another one of their assets.

David Smaldone, an assistant professor of recreation, parks and tourism resources in WVU s Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, is participating in an ongoing study of the health benefits of national parks.

This Friday, Sept. 14, he will be on hand for the kickoff of the Towpath to Healthy Living Challenge at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Washington, D.C.

Over three million visitors a year have discovered that this strip of history and nature is the perfect place to run, walk, or bicycle,Smaldone said.

The public is invited to attend a celebratory kickoff event from noon-2 p.m. Friday at the C&O Canal National Historical Park Visitor Center, located in Georgetown at 1057 Thomas Jefferson Street.

There will be healthy refreshments, more information about the program and how to make walking a part of your life, a registration booth, and a motivational speaker,Smaldone said.

This program challenges five-member teams (or individuals) to walk a total of 185 miles in seven weeks on the C&O Canal towpath or elsewhere (30 minutes of walking equals 1.5 miles). The towpath runs 185 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md.

If your team walks 185 miles in the next seven weeks, you can say you walked the entire Canal!Smaldone said.

Smaldones participation consists primarily of work on the surveys associated with measuring the outcomes of the walking program, though he has worked with partners at WVU to build the challenges Web site,http://www.wdsc.caf.wvu.edu/COWalk/

I modeled this project after similar projects done here at WVU , through the Health Sciences Center and its Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days program,he said.

This is one of seven projects across the country that looks at the health benefits of national parks.