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10/29/09: Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Public Lands Service Corps Act
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests heard expert testimony today on S. 1442, the Public Lands Service Corps Act. Chairman of ENR, and sponsor of the Senate legislation, Senator Jeff Bingaman included in his opening remarks a statement about an organizational sign-on letter circulated by Sierra Club and signed by approximately 50 organizations all expressing support for the Corps. Robert Stanton from the Department of Interior and Joel Holtrop of the US Department of Agriculture shared glowing testimony about the importance of S. 1442 for youth and our public lands. A companion bill was also filed in the House of Representatives this week.
10/26/09: Sierra Club Joins ServiceNation
ServiceNation is a national campaign designed to increase service activities and instill within the American ideal a commitment to service. With over two hundred member groups, ServiceNation intends to reach 100 million Americans and spread a culture of volunteerism across the nation. Sierra Club has joined the coalition to support and encourage service among our members, supporters and partners. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
10/15/09 House Committee Hears Testimony on NOAA EE Bill, H.R. 3644
H.R. 3644, the "Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act" was introduced by Congresswoman Lois Capps on September 24th and was the subject of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife hearing today. The bill would authorize and expand existing environmental education programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The programs focus on youth, grades K-12, and are designed to promote public awareness and appreciation for social, economic and environmental benefits of coastal watersheds through hands-on outdoor learning experiences.
10/12/09: Claudia Corona wins Green Youth Leader Award
Sierra Club's Building Bridges to the Outdoors program and the North American Association for Environmental Education came together for the second year in a row to present Claudia Corona with the Green Youth Leader Award for her outstanding leadership in the environmental field. Before graduating from High School in Los Angeles, Claudia Corona was the President of her school's environmental club, the Mean Green Team. During her senior year, Claudia led her peers though 500 hours of volunteer service for the environment. Read more.
9/24/09: NOAA Environmental Education Bill Introduced in the House of Representatives
Congresswoman Lois Capps just introduced H.R. 3644, the "Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act." The bill that would authorize environmental education programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The programs focus on youth, grades K-12, and are designed to promote public awareness and appreciation for social, economic and environmental benefits of coastal watersheds.
9/16/09: Climate Change Education
Sierra Club supports comprehensive clean energy legislation that funds education, training and retraining for all sectors of the emerging clean energy economy. We recently signed onto a letter that supports education and training in the clean energy bill.
9/15/09: Bicycling and Walking Trails Rescued in Transportation Bill
An amendment to the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill that would curb federal investments in bicycle and pedestrian paths and other Transportation Enhancement (TE) projects was defeated on the Senate floor. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) issued the amendment, which was rejected by a vote of 59-39. Five Democrats voted with Coburn.
9/2/09: NWF Report: Time Out
Time Out: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance, A School Readiness Guide for Teachers and Parents was released just in time for the new school year by the National Wildlife Federation. The report addresses many of the problems associated with spending too much time indoors and highlights the body of research showing the academic improvements associated with outdoor education. Click here to read the report.
8/15/09: First Family Visits Our National Parks
President Barack Obama took his family on a tour of two of our most treasured National Parks. For four days, the First Family and President Obama's half-sister Maya and her family spent four days visiting Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, national parks that President Obama and Maya had visited during their childhood. They also spent time together fishing in Montana and sleeping in a mountainside lodge. BBTO praises the President and First Lady for getting their kids outdoors this summer.
7/22/09: Sierra Club joins Congressman Raúl Grijalva to advocate for the Public Lands Service Corps
On July 22, 2009, the next generation of public lands stewards and enthusiasts joined Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Sierra Club, the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the Earth Conservation Corps and The Corps Network to clear the trail towards green and service-oriented jobs. Gathered at the House Triangle on the East side of the US Capitol building, Grijalva, SCA and Earth Conservation Corps youth participants, NPCA leaders and youth and young adults from Sierra Club took up tools to advocate for the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009. Read the Sierra Club's press release, see more media coverage on our news page, and read more about the event on our events page.
6/22/09: United We Serve!
President Obama just announced an exciting new summer service initiative. On June 22, First Lady Michelle Obama and Cabinet Secretaries hosted kick-off events for the United We Serve summer. The Club's BBTO program joined Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at Shenandoah National Park to remove invasive species on our public lands. Please join the White House and Sierra Club's Building Bridges to the Outdoors program by committing to serve America this summer! United We Serve will run from June 22 through September 11, 2009. Read Sierra Club's press release about United We Serve.
6/8/2009: Interior Secretary Salazar signs Order to get kids outside
Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his agency will establish a new office dedicated to getting youth outdoors. Salazar, joined by White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett and hundreds of children, signed a Secretarial Order to officially establish an Office of Youth at the Department of Interior. The creation of the Office is the first step toward fulfilling Salazar's vision of establishing a 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps. The new Corps will build a bridge to the outdoors and to green jobs for a new and diverse generation of public lands enthusiasts and employees. It will also educate a young hunters and anglers. The announcement followed a youth fishing event at Constitution Gardens on the National Mall. Click here to read our press release!
5/14/2009: Children and Cheetahs on Capitol Hill
Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD) recently joined fifth graders and their four-legged friends to promote the No Child Left Inside Act. The bill would improve opportunities for states to provide environmental education through their K-12 public school systems. The cheetah was such a hit, we could barely hear what our elected officials had to say! Learn more about NCLI.
4/28/2009: New Office of Youth at the Department of Interior
Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar announced in late April the establishment of an Office of Youth to coordinate efforts to engage, educate and employ youth. Secretary Salazar has made a clear commitment to youth and the outdoors. In late February, BBTO's volunteer coordinator, Juan Martinez introduced the Secretary at Power Shift 09, where Salazar first announced the creation of a 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps. Watch the speech.
4/22/2009: No Child Left Inside Act of 2009 is Reintroduced in Congress
On Earth Day, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative John P. Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced the No Child Left Inside Act of 2009. The bill would encourage States to develop plans to ensure that all high school graduates are environmentally literate. The bill also creates incentives for teacher training in field-based learning and opportunities for research into the academic impacts of outdoor learning.
3/19/2009: Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009 Introduced in the House of Representatives
Representatives Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Nick Rahall (D-WV) introduced the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009, H.R. 1612. The bill would protect, preserve and restore our public lands while giving young Americans employment opportunities and the training they need to get green jobs with our public land agencies. Click here to support the Corps!
Featured Partner: Muddy Sneakers
Muddy Sneakers: The Joy of Learning Outside is a unique program that offers children from Western North Carolina an opportunity to learn from nature's classroom. The program helps youth put the science they are learning in the classroom into context, while providing them all the benefits time spent outdoors has to offer for the body and mind. Schools participating in the Muddy Sneakers' Learning Expeditions will take a series of field trips throughout the academic year. The mission of Muddy Sneakers is to awaken in children a deeply felt connection with the natural world, one that inspires curiosity, stimulates learning, and brings new life to classroom performance.
Click here to see an interactive map of BBTO project partners
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