Category Archives: Blogs

Senate Hearing Demonstrates Continued Bipartisan Support for Policy that Connects Children, Youth and Families with the Outdoors

December 8, 2021 By Jayni Rasmussen, Senior Campaign Representative, OAK As the Build Back Better Act moves through Congress, carrying with it billions in potential funding for outdoor access, the Senate is now considering an historic slate of bills that could transform who has access to public lands and waters.  Last week, the Senate Energy andContinue reading “Senate Hearing Demonstrates Continued Bipartisan Support for Policy that Connects Children, Youth and Families with the Outdoors”

[RE-BLOG]: Congresswoman Nanette Barragán: “Build Back Better Must Include Our Parks”

September 1, 2021 By Congresswoman Nanette Barragán and Jackie Ostfeld This blog was originally posted on SierraClub.org. Featured photo courtesy of the National Park Service. Summer and the outdoors go hand-in-hand, and nowhere is that felt more than in our parks. From hikes through ancient forests to weekend cookouts with friends to soccer or Little League games, our parks areContinue reading “[RE-BLOG]: Congresswoman Nanette Barragán: “Build Back Better Must Include Our Parks””

[Re-Blog] Congresswoman Katie Porter: “After a Year Indoors, We Must Support Every Kid Outdoors”

August 25, 2021 By Congresswoman Katie Porter and Jayni Rasmussen  This blog was originally posted on SierraClub.org. Featured photo: Big Bend at Zion National Park, courtesy Cadence C. Cook, National Park Service. Representative Katie Porter, one of the authors of this blog, knows firsthand the joy of the outdoors. Growing up, her family took vacations at national parksContinue reading “[Re-Blog] Congresswoman Katie Porter: “After a Year Indoors, We Must Support Every Kid Outdoors””

Watch Now: OAK’s Youth Advocates on REI’s Instagram Stories!

This afternoon, OAK Steering Committee member REI Co-op posted on their Instagram account our collaborative story series featuring a Q&A with two of OAK’s amazing youth advocates, Robbie Bond of Kids Speak for Parks and Junior Ranger Tigran Nahabedian! In the stories, Robbie and Tigran both make an incredible case for full funding for the Every Kid OutdoorsContinue reading “Watch Now: OAK’s Youth Advocates on REI’s Instagram Stories!”

Why We Need Public Transit to Public Lands

guest blog by Katherine Garcia and Jackie Ostfeld, originally posted on the Sierra Club blog If you look for directions from Washington, D.C. to Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park on Google Maps, it will chart a route for your car down to the minute. If you try to find that same route via public transit, youContinue reading “Why We Need Public Transit to Public Lands”

Interior Announces $150 Million for Increasing Park Access in Urban Areas – So What Does That Mean for Youth and Families?

Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced $150 million in funding for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s newly-released America the Beautiful initiative. Since 2014, ORLP (a program of the Land and Water Conservation Fund) funding has enabled urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks,Continue reading “Interior Announces $150 Million for Increasing Park Access in Urban Areas – So What Does That Mean for Youth and Families?”

Watch: Rep. Katie Porter and daughter Betsy talk Every Kid Outdoors!

We love this great video from Congresswoman Katie Porter, who shares with her rising fourth grader, Betsy, that they’re going on a vacation to a surprise destination: Zion National Park! Thanks to the Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) program, all fourth graders – including Betsy – and their families get FREE entry to any national parkContinue reading “Watch: Rep. Katie Porter and daughter Betsy talk Every Kid Outdoors!”

Act Now to Support Funding for Every Kid Outdoors!

Since, 2015, the Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) program has provided fourth graders with a pass so they and their families can gain free entry to federal public land and water sites. Now, this program needs funding to ensure it can reach kids that need outdoor access more than ever.  EKO gives children an opportunity toContinue reading “Act Now to Support Funding for Every Kid Outdoors!”

Fatima’s Great Outdoors

In Case You Missed It: Watch the Recording of Fatima’s Great Outdoors Storytime Live Event  By: Jackie Ostfeld, OAK Co-Chair and Founder and Jayni Rasmussen, OAK Senior Campaign Representative Note: Book cover courtesy of Penguin Kids and screenshot from livestream with author Ambreen Tariq. Photo originally posted on Sierra Magazine‘s blog on 4/8/21. Last week, PenguinContinue reading “Fatima’s Great Outdoors”