Oregon gets Youth Outdoors

With four visits to local Oregon schools, we were able to teach over 450 students about Leave No Trace!  We first visited Crook County High School and Middle School in Prineville, OR.  Crook County is enthusiastically engaging their students in outdoor learning through the use of their local watershed and the outdoor school.  The sixth graders spend two weeks at outdoor school where they learn about the local ecology and plant-life of central Oregon.  The high school students are involved in service projects that help restore and revive the watershed. Community support is essential in building student's connection to nature.  We applaud the work of the Crook County community.  

Our next stop was to the Northwest Youth Corp Outdoor High School in Eugene.  Here students are provided the opportunity to receive an education both in a classroom and in the outdoors.  They are involved in field work, trail crew, and youth corp service projects.  What a fun school!

Our final stop was at the Forest Grove Community School.  In it's second year, the community school has grown leaps and bounds.  The students impressed us with their knowledge of recycling, the environment, and Leave No Trace skills.  

We enjoyed reaching out to youth in Oregon and introducing them to the PEAK program!  Our time highlighted the importance of getting children excited about the outdoors and away from the TV and computer!  

Off to Durango, CO...

Safe travels- Kate and Tracy