Youth Outdoors: Mississippi River Education and Employment Opportunities
There has been a sharp decline in participation in outdoor recreation and education amongst youth, particularly in urban areas. Some argue that youth who have meaningful outdoor education experiences are more likely to become engaged in environmental stewardship and invested in outdoor resources as adults. Wilderness Inquiry - in partnership with state and federal agencies, non-profits, and local school districts - is using this appropriation to expand an environmental education and recreation program that provides youth with hands-on educational and recreational experiences of the Mississippi River. Funds enable the program to offer canoe experiences to an additional 6,000 youth and to expand the types of experiences provided to include overnight camping, aquatic sampling and monitoring, and conservation-related internships. The program is also expanding geographically to serve additional communities in the Twin Cities and outstate, including Grand Rapids, St. Cloud, Hastings, and Red Wing.
$450,000 the first year is from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Wilderness Inquiry to provide outdoor education, recreation, and youth employment on the Mississippi River from Grand Rapids to St. Cloud, the Twin Cities, Hastings, and Red Wing. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2016, by which time the project must be completed and final products delivered.
Click on Work Plan under Project Details.
Click on Work Plan under Project Details.