PORTLAND, Ore., September 4, 2009. This
summer, Forests Inside Out! was launched to get city children out
into nature. The new program offered 300 children immersive and
unforgettable indoor and outdoor experiences. The children, ages
6 to 10, came from diverse and underserved communities in the Portland
and Vancouver metropolitan area.
“ This program promotes an active, outdoor lifestyle for
young children who may not otherwise get into the woods and learn
about nature and science,” says
Bov Eav, Station Director of the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research
Station, one of the funding partners for Forests Inside Out!
activities were presented in a 2-day format. On the first day, students experienced
outdoor activities close to the city at the World Forestry
Center, Oregon Zoo, and Hoyt Arboretum. The second day began with stewardship
activities at the Sandy River Delta and ended with a hike from Horsetail Falls
to Ponytail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.
“ We are delighted to partner with the U.S. Forest Service
to give urban children an introduction to forests through [the
Agency’s] More Kids in
the Woods program. Many kids growing up in urban settings do not have the
chance to experience being out in the woods,” says Gary Hartshorn,
President and Chief Executive Officer for the World Forestry Center.
and guides for the youngsters included older children who are graduates
of the Inner City Youth Institute, another outdoor program made possible
through a partnership between the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management,
State University, and Portland Public Schools. These teen and now college-age
worked with the younger participants each day, helping them experience
and learn more through photography, sketching, and journaling.
who participated in the summer-long program came from the Boys
and Girls Club in Portland and Hillsboro; the YMCA in Vancouver
Washington; and Buckman and Lynchwood Elementary Schools in Portland.
The program, which began August 3 and ran through September 4, was made
possible through a partnership among the Forest Service’s PNW Research
Station, World Forestry Center, National Forest Foundation, Oregon Zoo,
Service’s Pacific Northwest Region, Inner City Youth Institute, and
Portland Parks and Recreation.
Forests Inside Out!—was awarded $28,900
through a matching cost-share program (More Kids in the Woods) offered
through the Forest Service. More than 197 programs
vied for the awards; 17 were chosen. Partners’ matching funds brought
the total program funding to $73,250. Becky Bittner, the Station’s
Environmental Education Coordinator, and Rick Zenn, Education Director
at the World Forestry
Center in Portland, directed the sessions and prepared the project proposal.
Links to photos for your use. Caption: Four children in the Forest
Inside Out! program play a game about the importance of water,
in tree growth with (left to right) program counselor Jessica Vogel,
Station Director Bov Eav, and Gary Hartshorn, President and Chief Executive
of the World Forestry Center.)