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Conservation + Recreation: 
August, 2012 
In the News

September 29th is National Public Lands Day. Coming up this September 29th is National Public Lands day, an opportunity to enter many federal lands and national parks without an entrance fee. Click here for additional details and opportunities.

 

Tweets Come From Real Birds. Have you seen  this inspirational video about young people in the outdoors? If not, be sure to watch the video in its entirety, it's only two and a half minutes long. The movie is a refreshing take on young people and the outdoors.

  

And now for something completely different. Check out this mass performance art event that descended recently on Governor's Island in NYC! If you were there, tell us what you thought. Seen any other unusual park activity lately? Tell us that too."  

Findings and Publications

Digital Photography can Help bring Kids Into Nature. The Children and Nature Network is a hub for exploring the connection between young people and nature. Ann Douglas penned a great piece about how digital photography has been studied to help kids connect with nature. 

New Tools

New Kids to Conservation Case Studies.  Several new case studies have been added to the Kids to Conservation Website, highlighting some of the best conservation project planning we have seen. Take a look at the Kids to Conservation website, and see if any of the case studies could serve as a model for your community. Let us know if you find an inspiration.

 

Complete Streets Policy Analysis. The National Complete Streets Coalition recently released a policy analysis that documents the growth of the movement to demand that streets be universally inclusive and safe for all kinds of roadway users. According to the report, there is strong growth in beneficial policies adopted by communities, 146 policies were adopted in 2011 alone. 

Upcoming Events

Walk or Bike to School Day is October 3. The National Center for Safe Routes to School reminds us that this upcoming October 3rd is walk or bike to school day. The website has a great tool to map your route to get where you are going safely. If you have time, register an account and map your route.

 

News and Events. The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program maintains a list of recent news and events. Do you have one to share? If so, tell us about it on our Facebook page.

Grants and Job Opportunities

Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Due 10.24.2012). The Conrad Foundation sponsors a Spirit of Innovation Challenge that invites high school students and their teachers, parents, and coaches to use science, technology, and other innovation skills to solve global and local problems. Can you, or a young person you know show how your vision for a local conservation project would support global sustainability?

 

Connecting Youth to the Great Outdoors (Due 9.19.2012). Do you work on fostering the relationship between young people to the great outdoors? If so, these grants provide substantial awards to individuals or groups working to connect youth to the outdoors. Click here for grant details.

 

Green School Grants (Due 9.30.2012). Greenworks is a service-learning component of the Project Learning Tree, which offers grant opportunities for a school or community to develop a native plant garden, forest improvement plan, or similarly themed project. Do you know a student or young person who might be interested? If so, view the grant details here 

Trail of the Month

Tillamook County Water Trail. The Tillamook County Water Trail was designated as a national recreational trail by the Department of the Interior. Conservation and Recreation was there, check out the pictures on our Facebook page, where you can see the ribbon cutting ceremony, and pictures of paddling. 

A Tip of the Hat to...  

Carol Leone

Teens To Trails  

Edgecomb, Maine

 

Carol Leone, Co-Founder of Teens To Trails, is the powerhouse behind creating and growing high school outing clubs in Maine. Since 2006 Carol has been shepherding a movement to get more teenagers outdoors to experience the wonders, challenges and well-being that come with being in natural places.

 

Early on Teens To Trails (T3) made a strategic decision to focus on the highly formative teenage years by supporting high school outing clubs.  Since then T3 has sponsored a wildly popular bi-annual "Life Happens Outside" conference as well as a bi-annual Acadia Rendezvous, a weekend of fun and adventure for outing clubs in Acadia National Park. Teens To Trails also offers training for outing club advisors. This year, the National Park Service is working with T3 to advance their College Outdoor Mentors vision, pairing up colleges with local high schools for outdoor mentoring. Four pilot projects are underway with plans for more.

 

Carol, along with T3 co-founder and husband, Bob Leone, and a dedicated and passionate board have helped get hundreds of Maine kids outside. Carol has tirelessly volunteered her full time and attention to this endeavor. She loves and believes in young people and is passionate and dogged about making sure each of them has the opportunity to experience the out-of-doors and reap its mental, physical and spiritual benefits.  We tip our hats to Carol Leone!

Let's Work Together
Could your project benefit from collaboration with a National Park Service specialist?
 
If you're restoring a river, building a community trail, or making an urban park flourish, we'd love to talk with you about ways we could work together.  
 
   
Call or email your regional representative today.
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Conservation + Recreation is written to support and inform our organizational partners, friends of the program, potential partners, and Department of the Interior staff. It's our chance to share activities and successes and those of our partners. For details on specific projects, please contact the staff person involved with each project.

Images courtesy National Park Service except as noted.