AB 2989 (Fuentes)

Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation

FACT SHEET

SUMMARY: AB 2989 would create the California Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Program at the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

PROBLEM: Too few of our children have access to parks, rivers, and forests. This is especially true for those children living in urban areas, who are lower income, or who are an ethnic minority. Modern children suffer from “Nature Deficit Disorder” as coined by Richard Louv in his best seller Last Child in the Woods. Currently, less than 15 percent of California students are participating in outdoor education programs, as the State has no systematic program or approach for reaching these children.

Additionally, the incidence of obesity, diabetes and other diseases among Americans is on the rise due in large part to a sedentary youth culture. Children today simply do not have the opportunity to spend time in the outdoors which has been shown to have a significant positive effect on their overall health and physical wellbeing. Furthermore, increasing the amount of physically active Californians just 5% would save over $1 billion annually in direct and indirect health care costs.

SOLUTION: Assembly Bill 1330 (Simitian, Chapter 663, Statues of 2003) established the Outdoor Environmental Education Program as a pilot project and required a study of 255 sixth-grade students on the benefits of outdoor education on at-risk youth and underserved demographic groups. The study, administered by the Department of Education and released in 2005, found that children who participated in these programs raised their science test scores by 27 percent, improved their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, and experienced better self-esteem and motivation to learn.

Given this hopeful information, AB 2989 is a straightforward, yet powerful measure to facilitate the provision of an outdoor experience for K-12 children. Specifically AB 2989:

Ø Creates a permanent Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Program in the Department of Parks and Recreation

Ø Awards grants to formal school programs and nonprofit community groups that provide outdoor education and recreation opportunities.

Ø Requires the Department Director to give priority to underserved populations in urban and rural areas. Additionally, AB 2989 has criteria that requires priority is given to programs that:

o Contribute to healthy lifestyles

o Maximize the number of participants

o Commit in-kind resources

o Include a curriculum that fosters environmental stewardship

o Include service-learning and community outreach components.

Ø Requires the Director, on or before January 1, 2010, to submit a report and recommendation to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation of the program.

SPONSOR: Sierra Club California