Photo by Rebecca Stumpf The Sierra Club is a founding and steering committee member of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids. Each September, a new class of fourth graders gets the chance to lead the way outdoors. Through the National Park Service’s Every Kid Outdoors program, U.S. fourth graders, including home-school equivalents, can get a free…
July 22, 2026 USDA 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-0003 We, the undersigned members and partners of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), write to share our views on the Department’s implementation of Executive Order (EO) 14408 entitled “Removing Unnecessary and Counterproductive Restrictions on Access to Federal Lands.” This EO directs the…
July 13, 2026 Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation FICOR Youth Working Group Sent to: BIA, BLM, NPS, USFWS & BOR, USFS, NOAA Re: Connecting children, youth, and families to federally-managed public lands, waters, and shores. Recommendations from the Outdoors Alliance for Kids. Dear FICOR Principles and FICOR Youth Working Group,…
In May 2026, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released their Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill, renamed as the BUILD America 250 Act. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization process takes place every 5 years and dictates funding for transportation infrastructure, including federal highways, bridges, and public transit, as well as infrastructure for walking and biking. This…
Below is a copy of the testimony submitted by the Outdoors Alliance For Kids (OAK) to the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, during a hearing in April 2026 on the implementation of the EXPLORE Act: On behalf of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a national strategic partnership of more than…
Photo caption: Rohan Jyothinagaram with American Heart Association, Robert Scott with Sierra Club, Jessie Traxler with OAK, and Jahir Morris with The Wilderness Society led meetings with Members of Congress in February 2026 to advocate for the Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the coalition’s priority bills in Congress. By: Jessie Traxler, Outdoors Alliance for Kids…
Below is a copy of the testimony submitted by the Outdoors Alliance For Kids (OAK) to the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, during a hearing in January 2026 on the implementation of the EXPLORE Act: On behalf of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a national strategic partnership of more than 120 organizations…
by Jackie Ostfeld, OAK Founder & Chair I am winding down and getting ready to enjoy the holiday season with my family and I hope you are, too. 2025 has been a wild ride. Our outdoor way of life has been tested like never before. From reductions in force at our land agencies, efforts to…
Robert Mayer with KABOOM!, Rohan Jyothinagaram with American Heart Association, Robert Scott with Sierra Club, and Max Ralphelson with Appalachian Trail Conservancy led meetings with Members of Congress in December 2025 to advocate for the Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the coalition’s priorities in the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization process. Photo courtesy Rohan Jyothinagaram …
Earlier this summer, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). From cuts to agencies that protect and care for our public lands, to rescinding funds for programs that improve nature access across the country, the OBBB threatens everyone’s ability to connect with the outdoors, especially children, youth, and families. Just weeks after the…