SEATTLE — The Washington Department of Natural Resources is coordinating a program to expose more students to outdoor learning experiences, in hopes they'll consider careers in fields like forestry, geology, habitat restoration and trail design.
The agency's Youth Education and Outreach Program (YEOP) currently provides field trips to state lands to hear from subject matter experts, works with educators to help them highlight opportunities, and coordinates educational opportunities wherever possible.
"We're trying to be really nimble and flexible, with community events that people can come to with their kids, guest speakers, summer programs and camps, working with teachers," WADNR YEOP Manager Clare Sobetski said. "Sometimes it's a traditional school day and a field trip that happens within that context; we're also working with internship and extracurricular programs and we're also supporting teachers and providing professional development so educators can better understand resource management and translate that to their classrooms."
On a Wednesday at the Webster Forest Nursery in Olympia, DNR hosted a group from the group Hip Hop is Green.
"The value in getting kids out and learning about these opportunities is creating the next generation of climate change leaders," Founder and Executive Director Keith Tucker said. "They can be stewards of the environment, doing something they love, and earning a living as well too."
Sobetski said House Bill 1168 helped identify areas in which critical workforce shortages are expected, including forestry in particular and natural resources management more broadly. This program aims to show students what options are available in these areas so they can consider further education and career paths to fill those jobs.
The program also aims to recruit a "natural resource workforce that reflects the demographics of Washington state" and help "formal and non-formal educators have the knowledge, skills and confidence to teach about the complexities of natural resource management," according to a legislative briefing.
The agency is hopeful work can be expanded with more funding, in order to reach more students across the state.