July 28, 2008
The Honorable Edward Shafer
Acting Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. S.W., Ste. 200A
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Shafer,
The Forest Research Advisory Council (FRAC) recommends that the Department of Agriculture
support increased exposure of our nation's youth to natural sciences through outdoor education
experiences. New initiatives and programs that connect children and the outdoors offer
unparalleled opportunities for science education.
Young people get excited about science and learning when they have opportunities to learn
outdoors and outdoor interactions with nature have been proven to improve science aptitude.
Environmental education is critical not only for scientific literacy; it also results in substantial
gains in school enirollment by choice, student achievement, and standardized test scores.
Additionally, national studies, such as those associated with the Children and Nature Network
(http://www_childrenandnature.org/research/volumes/C 16116) and the State Education and
Environment Roundtable (http://aeoe.org/resources/research/seer_studentachievement.pdf), show
that environmental education enhances critical thinking and basic life skills.
FRAC believes that outdoor education experiences emphasizing science fit well within the
mission of USDA. The inclusion of the No Child Left Inside provisions as elements of the
reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (No Child Left Behind) provides
an opportunity to expand science-based outdoor education efforts within the Department's
environmental education partnerships. The No Child Left Inside Act supports the Department of
Agriculture's goals to increase students' awareness of agricultural and forest resources, outdoor
recreation, and stewardship. Additionally, the No Child Left Inside Act supports the interests
FRAC has to increase the exposure of our nation' s youth to natural sciences through initiatives
and programs to connect children to the outdoors.
Increased emphasis on outdoor education experiences within the Department provides an
opportunity to emphasize the science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM)
principles that fit well within the mission of USDA. However, there is no direct linkage between
this growing outdoor education focus and the USDA STEM effort, nor is there any linkage to
perhaps the most powerful partner within the USDA "team" - the Cooperative Extension Service
4-H Youth Program. Developing such links would increase opportunities for advancing the
effectiveness of outdoor education efforts within the Department, while adding value to STEM by
emphasizing outdoor education as an avenue for furthering its principles.
FRAC recommends that the Department of Agriculture support youth programs focused on
combining science and outdoor education by:
1. Providing information to Congressional leaders communicating how the No Child
Left Inside Act supports the work and mission of the Department of Agriculture;
2. Allocating Department of Agriculture resources to provide science-based
environmental education programs and related professional development
opportunities for teachers and other educators;
3. Committing agency support through staff participation as integral participants during
the development of state environmental literacy plans;
4. Supporting state and national science-based environmental education capacity
building projects with both staff and funding resources; and
5. Exploring a more collaborative program that links the Forest Service, USDA STEM
programming, and the Cooperative Extension Service.
This past year, the USDA Forest Service, under the guidance of its new chief, Gail Kimbell,
launched a $1.5 million "Kids in the Woods" program focused on "[getting} kids out ofthe
classroom and into the woods." The Chief spelled out longer-term goals for this initiative: "... we
can inspire future conservation leaders, who can perpetuate the critical role nature role forests
play in the quality oflife for Americans." The recently announced follow-up program "More Kids
in the Woods," was initiated in January of 2008. FRAC believes that this US Forest Service
effort is a small but important step in developing future natural resource scientists and managers.
We strongly encourage USDA, through your office, to explore new and expanded collaborative
opportunities for developing youth programs focused on combining science and outdoor
education. We look forward to discussing this recommendation with you.
Sincerely,
Gregory P. Johnson
2008 Chair, Foresttry Research Advisory Council
c: Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics