NWF Policy Bulletin on Connecting Children with Nature

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

(National Wildlife Federation)

In This Issue:

   1. President Obama and 45 Governors Proclaim June Great Outdoors Month

   2. Secretary Salazar Calls on Americans to Mentor a Child Outdoors This Summer

   3. 145 Groups Urge Funding For DOI’s 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps Proposal

   4. Michigan No Child Left Inside Summit

   5. Senate Briefing on Education for the Green Economy

   6. Safe Routes to School Bill Introduced in Senate

 

 

1. President Obama and 45 Governors Proclaim June Great Outdoors Month

 

President Obama, 45 state Governors and the Mayor of the District of Columbia have proclaimed June “Great Outdoors Month.”  The proclamations came following letters of support sent by the American Recreation Coalition, the National Wildlife Federation and a coalition of recreation and conservation organizations, many of which coordinate special events in June, including National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day and the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout.

 

The Presidential proclamation highlights important initiatives of the Administration, noting that it is “working to connect America's youth with our treasured landscapes, which should be viewed as classrooms for environmental education and gateways to careers in natural resources.”  The Presidential proclamation also highlights the opportunities to improve one’s health through exploring the great outdoors and highlights a new Department of the Interior summer out mentoring initiative as part of this effort (see next article).  The President concludes, “I encourage all Americans to spend more time outside and to participate in the nationwide events marking this occasion.” 

 

Read NWF Press Release:

http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=A13E8F9A%2D5056%2DA868%2DA0DD260F97193B85

 

View the Presidential Proclamation:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-Great-Outdoors-Month/

 

View the 45 Governors' Proclamations:

http://www.funoutdoors.com/node/view/2284

 

Learn More about the Great American Backyard Campout:

http://www.nwf.org/BackyardCampout/

 

 

2. Secretary Salazar Calls on Americans to Mentor a Child Outdoors This Summer

 

On Monday, June 22nd, First Lady Michelle Obama, most Cabinet secretaries and many senior Administration officials kicked off the United We Serve summer of service initiative by participating in community service projects across the country.  As part of this effort, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar called on every American to mentor a child in the great outdoors this summer.  Secretary of Interior Salazar announced this initiative on Monday, June 22nd at a press event in Shenandoah National Park stating, "Children today spend half as much time outdoors as their parents and this has significant implications for our children's health, the economy and the future of American conservation.  This summer, as part of President Obama's new United We Serve campaign, I encourage all Americans to serve by mentoring a child in the great outdoors and introducing them to our nation's treasured landscapes.”

 

United We Serve is an extended call to service by President Obama challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service.  The United We Serve summer service initiative begins June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th.  The initiative is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. 

 

Read the NWF Press Release on Secretary Salazar’s Event at Shenandoah National Park:

http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=094F7C82%2D5056%2DA868%2DA04019788CE8A361

 

Find or Post Service Opportunities in Your Area:

www.serve.gov

 

 

3. 145 Groups Urge Funding for DOI's 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps Proposal

 

National Wildlife Federation took the lead on an organizational sign-on letter to the House and Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittees in support of the President’s budget recommendation for the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps.  The letter closed with the signatures of 145 conservation, youth, community service, education and hunting and angling groups.  National signers ranged from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to the Boy Scouts of America to the Outdoor Industry Association.  The letters were delivered to Congress on Wednesday, June 3rd.  

 

President Obama’s fiscal year 2010 budget proposal at the Department of Interior contains an historic $50 million in new investments to connect children and families to the great outdoors.  The budget targets $30 million for educating young hunters and anglers, and doubles funding from $20 to $40 million for Youth Careers in Nature.  This DOI initiative, dubbed the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, will bolster environmental education, recreation, and service programs throughout the Department, and engage thousands of youth in the outdoors.

 

On June 8th, to lay the groundwork for this proposed initiative, Secretary Salazar signed a Secretarial Order establishing an Office of Youth in Natural Resources at the Department of the Interior. He was joined by Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett and several hundred schoolchildren who were fishing at the Constitution Gardens Pond on the National Mall.  Secretary Salazar also lauded Robert Stanton, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget, who will oversee the Office of Youth in Natural Resources.

 

Read NWF Press Release:

http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=A72F6BFA%2D5056%2DA84B%2DC3560B68C89B1C70

 

View Final Letter to House:

http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/HOUSE%2021st%20Century%20Youth%20Conservation%20Corps.pdf

 

View Final Letter to Senate:

http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/SENATE%2021st%20Century%20Youth%20Conservation%20Corps.pdf

 

Send a Letter Supporting the 21st Century YCC:

http://online.nwf.org/ycc

 

Read the DOI Press Release on the Youth Office:

http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060809a.html

 

 

4. Michigan No Child Left Inside Summit

 

On Thursday, June 25th, the Michigan No Child Left Inside coalition, co-chaired by  Rebecca Nielsen, Manager of Regional Education Programs in NWF’s Great Lakes Regional Center, hosted the Michigan No Child Left Inside summit with nearly 200 corporate, K-12, higher education, health, government, nature center, non-profit, parent, parks and recreation partners.  Speakers included Rebecca Nielsen of NWF, Cheryl Charles, President and CEO of the Children and Nature Network, and Rebecca Humphries, Director of the Michigan DNR. 

 

The summit also featured a panel of four Michigan case studies on connecting children with nature and a screening of Elizabeth Goodenough’s documentary “Where Do the Children Play?”  Five working groups were initiated at the summit which met in the afternoon and will continue to work beyond the summit: 1) Environmental Literacy (Develop an Environmental Literacy Plan for Michigan), 2) Teacher Environmental Education (Develop actions to integrate NCLI into teacher education), 3) Mentoring Outdoor Experiences (Develop actions to support activities that get children and important adults in their lives outdoors together), 4) Health Education (Develop actions to integrate NCLI into Coordinated School Health Programs), and 5) Community Planning (Develop actions to integrate NCLI into local community planning).

 

Visit the Michigan No Child Left Inside Website:

http://www.mi-ncli.org/

 

 

5. Senate Briefing on Education for the Green Economy

 

On Friday, June 19th, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Jack Reed (D-RI) hosted a Senate briefing on “Preparing all Americans for the Opportunities of the New Green Economy: the Future of Environmental and Sustainability Education and Training.”  The briefing was sponsored by the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, National Wildlife Federation, Second Nature, American Association of Community Colleges, Earth Day Network, and the No Child Left Inside Coalition.  The briefing was “standing room only” with more than 60 people, including about 40 Senate staff. 

 

A panel of leading experts highlighted the opportunities for investing 1% of auction revenues from cap and trade legislation for an “Education for a Green Economy” fund addressing education at five levels: K-12, Career and Technical Education (career pathways), Higher Education (including community colleges), Professional Re-Education and Consumer Education.  Speakers included James L. Elder, Director, Campaign for Environmental Literacy; Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training, National Wildlife Federation; Don Ryan, Vice President, Second Nature; Kevin Sullivan, Former Senior Advisor and Speechwriter to Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Gary Heath, Former Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Maryland Department of Education.

 

 

6. Safe Routes to School Bill Introduced in Senate

 

The Safe Routes to Schools Act was introduced on Thursday May 21st, by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and 4 original cosponsors including Richard Burr (R-NC), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Susan Collins (R-ME).  The federal Safe Routes to School program was first created in 2005 through the SAFETEA-LU transportation bill and is authorized through 2009.  The program funds infrastructure improvements (such as sidewalks, pathways, bike lanes, and safe crossings) and education, law enforcement, and promotion campaigns to make it safer and more common for children to walk and bicycle to and from school in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The National Wildlife Federation signed an organizational sign-on letter in support of the legislation.

 

Walking and biking to school increases the amount of time children spend outdoors.  It also helps to lower global warming pollution by keeping cars off the road.  The program is up for reauthorization by Congress as part of the next surface transportation bill, which will be under discussion this summer.  The new Safe Routes to School bill proposes to build on successes around the country and strengthen and expand the federal program and triple the funding from the FY2009 level of $183 million to $600 million per year to meet the high demand and need for the program.

 

Learn More and Take Action:

http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/

 

Read the Full Bill:

gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s1156is.txt.pdf