Mainstreet Daily News
Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT)’s Creekside Environmental Ed for Kids (CrEEK) Program was one of 33 awardees for the Nation Park Trust’s 2023 Every Kid Outdoors Grant.
The National Park Trust and its partner USDA Forest Service developed the Every Kid Outdoors grant to support schools and organizations that connect elementary school-aged youth to public parks, lands, and waters.
The grant provides $4,500 to the CrEEK Program for the transportation of students from underserved schools in Gainesville and other counties to Little Orange Creek Nature Park.
The CrEEK Program serves around 1,000 fourth graders from underserved schools annually.
It allows students to engage in several outdoor activities paired with guidance and discussion with ecologists and environmental educators.
Students will learn science concepts, feel empowered to ask questions and have fun. Through the program, ACT hopes to inspire a passion for nature and inspire the next generation of conservation stewards.
“The CrEEK program is truly something special,” said CrEEK Program Coordinator Keara Clancy in a press release. “The outdoor classroom doesn’t just teach students about science; it allows them to have a transformative experience in how they see and experience the world around them. They feel empowered to continue exploring and employing the new skills they have learned, even after the field trip is over – and that’s what it’s all about.”
For over a decade, the National Park Trust has been a leader in youth outdoor programming and addresses the lack of transportation to outdoor spaces.
This grant supports the Every Kid Outdoors program, a federal youth initiative designed to provide every fourth grader in the United States the opportunity to visit public lands and waters with their families.
The Park Trust and the USDA Forest Service are partnering to provide the experiences that will help kids establish lifelong connections with nature and become the next generation of park stewards.
“We are delighted to expand our partnership with the USDA Forest Service by providing numerous nonprofits and schools across the country with Every Kid Outdoors Transportation Grants,” said executive director of National Park Trust Grace Lee in a press release. “These critical resources will allow thousands of children from under-served communities to discover our public lands and waters. For many of these students, it will be their first opportunity to explore the great outdoors.”
To learn more about the CrEEK Program, contact ACT at info@AlachuaConservationTrust.org or call 352-373-1078.