In a move toward fostering equitable access to parks and nature, NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) have been awarded grants totaling nearly $400,000 through the California Natural Resources Agency’s Youth Community Access program.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and first partner Jennifer Seibel lead the state’s Outdoors For All Strategy, which recently allocated a total of almost $18 million to 71 projects statewide.
Two projects in Santa Barbara County — NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project — received grants to the tune of nearly $400,000.
Santa Ynez Valley-based NatureTrack received $97,400 to support outdoor field trips for underserved, low-income K-12 students in northern Santa Barbara County. Older youth will be recruited from local colleges to work as trip docents.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant, as it allows us to extend our impact to a greater number of students of all abilities in north Santa Barbara County who may otherwise have limited or no access to learning in and from the natural world, where learning truly comes alive,” said Sue Eisaguirre, founder of NatureTrack.
“Plus, we are committed to supporting educators by ensuring our field trip aligns with the student’s classroom studies, providing a comprehensive and immersive educational experience,” she said. “We learn from the teachers who tell us the trip which fits their curriculum best.”
Since NatureTrack’s founding in 2011, more than 35,000 students have had a chance to experience a docent-led outdoor field trip.
Santa Barbara-based Wilderness Youth Project received $288,500 to support its Bridge to Nature program that funds outdoor access to nature and mentoring programs for underserved and low-income youth ages 7-17, and the funding includes the acquisition of a clean vehicle for adventure transportation.
“At Wilderness Youth Project, gratitude is part of the fabric of our work, whether expressed in a circle of participants or in staff meetings,” said Michelle Howard, grants management director. “Giving thanks is as natural to us as the rocky sandstone of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the sandy shores of Butterfly Beach.
“We are incredibly grateful for the grant from Youth Community Access, and we hope that it inspires deepening support for local nature connection and access.”
Wilderness Youth Project serves 1,200 local children annually; the grant will support the subsidized Bridge to Nature school day programs and after-school programs at 11 local elementary schools and two preschools in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria (where the majority of students come from low-income families).
NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project have a history of collaboration. This school year, NatureTrack lent its Freedom Trax wheelchair system to Wilderness Youth Project, facilitating the participation of two fourth-graders who use wheelchairs to join Wilderness Youth Project’s school-day Bridge to Nature adventures on the sand and trails at Haskell’s Beach.
NatureTrack extends the availability of Freedom Trax devices to other nonprofits and private citizens at no charge. The mission of Access for All’ resonates throughout the work of NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project, and the impact of Freedom Trax has significantly expanded this work.
For the full list of awarded Youth Community Access grant projects, click here.
The California Natural Resources Agency Youth Community Access Program, funded by Proposition 64, grants fund projects throughout the state, from San Diego to Siskiyou counties, bringing youth in underserved and low-income communities to parks, nature and places of cultural and historic significance.
Youth Community Access projects include a variety of efforts to develop youth leadership while sailing the ocean, constructing trailheads, exploring California’s hidden places, restoring a fish hatchery and other activities that encourage getting outdoors. It is part of the Outdoors for All Strategy.
“California is one of the most beautiful places in the world and our connection to nature and outdoor recreation is a key part of our identity,” said Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources secretary. “Yet today, not all Californians can get outside and into nature safely, affordably or comfortably.
“Outdoors for All is about expanding this opportunity to all Californians and providing lifelong outdoor experiences for families and underserved communities across the state. Today’s launch builds momentum to make this vision a reality.”
In 2021, Newsom and the State Legislature committed $1 billion toward the Outdoors for All Strategy, including $500 million in grants to local communities for parks infrastructure and transportation and education programs, and $500 million to expand access to California state parks and other state facilities through infrastructure and improvements to existing programs.