OSPI, RCO award outdoor learning grants

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office in cooperation with the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction announced $3.7 million in grants to support outdoor learning experiences, including projects that impact Grant and Adams counties.

“With these funds, community-based organizations will partner with school districts to take learning outside for more than 20,000 Washington students,” said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal in a joint press release from RCO and OSPI.

Grant Co. learning

Projects that will have a presence in Grant County include nearly $50,000 to the Washington Native Plant Society to support the organization’s Youth Ecology Education through Restoration program which is active at six middle schools across the state. This will impact students at Wahluke Junior High School in Mattawa.

Cascade Fisheries will receive just more than $147,000 for the organization’s Watching Over the Watershed Program which is active in Chelan, Douglass and Grant counties.

The Wenatchee River Institute received roughly $200,000 in funding for its Adding Native Voices to Outdoor Learning in Eastern Washington project. This project works to amplify Indigenous voices through hands-on, place-based education.

The Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group was awarded a roughly $127,000 grant for its Expanding the Careers in Conservation Summer Program. The six-week, field-based program helps high school students understand how natural resources work. Funding will be utilized to expand the program into Grant and other counties.

Adams Co. learning

Both Grant and Adams counties will benefit from a roughly $191,000 award to Educational Service District 123. This money will support the Offering Outdoor Art Expression to Build Resilience work the district puts forward in Southeast Washington. The money will fund outdoor art projects, outdoor exploration and four field trips annually for the duration of the grant.

According to the OSPI and RCO combined press release, outdoor learning reduces stress and improves physical and mental health for students. Additional improvements in academic performance, higher graduation rates, increased social skills and other benefits are also supported through outdoor activities with an educational bent.

“These programs provide students with opportunities to learn in meaningful and engaging ways where they can understand the unique context of their community. I’m grateful for the Legislature’s investment in this area and for our partnership with the Recreation and Conservation Office,” Reykdal said.

Overall, the grants are expected to impact more than 40,000 students statewide and provide more than 489,000 hours of outdoor learning opportunities. RCO and OSPI considered 111 applications for grants requesting $15.3 million in total. While not all were awarded, those who did receive grants will receive the funding over the next two years. The grant program encourages grant recipients to incorporate the state’s Since Time Immemorial Curriculum, the press release said. That includes infusing traditional ecological knowledge with outdoor learning experiences.

“We received a large number of high-quality applications,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. “It shows what a tremendous need there is for this kind of outdoor education across the state.”

Outside learning:

For more information about the Outdoor Learning Grants program and the Since Time Immemorial Curriculum, visit the websites below.

• https://bit.ly/RCOOUTDOOR
• https://bit.ly/TIMEIMMEMORIAL