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GOAL 4: ENGAGE AND INVEST IN COMMUNITIES Creating watershed resilience is also about increasing community resilience. It is essential to conduct our work with an equity lens, engaging communities and creating multiple benefits.
ACTION 10: Increase Environmental Literacy and Engagement to Support Ecosystems Career-connected, outdoor learning opportunities that are accessible to all communities in Washington, including girls, low-income youth and youth of color, are critical to the state’s future. At present, DNR recognizes a need to support the creation or extension of educational programs with an equity lens so that a broad range of people see themselves as the next generation of natural resource stewards and consider careers in this field. Ensuring that outdoor education programs in WRIA 7 are available to support salmon recovery as well as expanded opportunities for girls, youth of color, and other communities will yield multiple benefits for people and salmon.
Outcomes Outcome 22: Provide outdoor education and career-connected learning opportunities that reach at least 6,000 K-8 and high school students with a focus on girls and youth of color by 2031. Outcome 23: Support 500 people to complete a natural resources apprenticeship/training program by 2031.
Challenge Currently, there are limited opportunities for children and youth to experience outdoor learning and engagement both within and outside of formal school settings. Additionally, natural resource agencies need to secure a future workforce to steward and protect our natural resources and public lands for future generations. Given that Washington DNR manages 5.6 million acres of land across the state and employs more than 1,400 people in communities in every corner of Washington, DNR is wellpositioned to invite kids and youth into outdoor classrooms to learn about the state’s natural resources and how each of us can play a role in building a sustainable future. To strategically engage children and youth in education programming on public lands and with land management staff, DNR can partner with schools and other entities to increase hands-on learning on DNR-managed lands. These programs should engage girls, youth of color and youth from underserved and overburdened communities. Outdoor education experiences should be complemented by training and workforce development opportunities that support the next generation of natural resource workers and leaders. There are very few apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs related to natural resource industries at present in Washington State; increasing the reach of this type of training program will help ensure that there are sufficient trained workers to meet the needs of restoration and watershed resilience work of today and in the future, while creating paid workforce opportunities and pathways to good-paying jobs.
