WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump administration’s official budget request for fiscal year 2026, released Friday, includes devastating cuts to multiple programs that are critical to nationwide conservation efforts and efforts to get children, youth, and families outdoors. Among the targeted programs are the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which funds conservation and recreation projects…
Guest blog post by Patrick Deavy, National Environmental Education Foundation. This holiday season, a family hike or quick trip to a local park could offer more than a chance to escape the hustle and bustle. A new survey conducted by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) shows signs that these family outings may also be…
– Interview with Jason Morris, Pisces Foundation, by Jackie Ostfeld, Outdoors Alliance for Kids The Pisces Foundation is working to advance strategic solutions to natural resource challenges and prepare the next generation by supporting environmental education. Pisces believes if we act now and boldly, we can quickly accelerate to a world where people and nature…
Every Kid in a Park – Youth Blog Series, Post #5 Interview with Nicole, incoming 4th grader and Every Kid in a Park pass recipient Nicole is an incoming 4th grader at Harmony Hills Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland. Interviewer, Isabel Argoti, introduced Nicole and her family to the Every Kid in a Park…
Every Kid in a Park – Youth Blog Series, Post #2 Interview with Evie E. & Louise R., former Every Kid in a Park pass users Evie E. and Louise R. are both rising sixth-graders at Creative Minds International Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. They were both invited to speak at OAK’s Congressional Lunch Briefing…
guest blog by Annie Yearout, Author of OutdoorsyMama.com – originally appeared on outdoorsymama.blogspot.com Celebrating “Every Kid in a Park” granting free National Park Passes to all 4th graders nationwide! San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Photo: National Park Trust The super-tall, super-lean, super-endurance runner Dylan Bowman is bent over a bunch of outdoor gear…
OAK guest blog by Susan Wirth, Outreach Director with Dimensions Educational Research Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation originally published by Natural Start Alliance Connecting children with nature has a myriad of benefits that are receiving national attention. Research tells us that children who spend time in nature are more creative, less stressed, better able to concentrate, physically…
OAK member guest blog by Allen Cooper, from National Wildlife Federation originally published in Wildlife Promise Every parent who has ever watched a child play in nature has cause to rejoice. NWF’s guide Nature Play & Learning Places: Creating and Managing Places Where Children Engage with Nature shows how to design and manage nature play areas…