Presenter: Kennedy Potts
Co-Presenters: Paige Book, Garrett Davidson, Artesia Hubbard, Allison Humphrey, Skyland Worman
Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Lynch, Kassandra Hishida
Presentation Type: Oral
Primary Research Area: Humanities
Major: Environmental Science
Children in the United States are becoming increasingly detached from nature, which has the potential to lead to a future in which the citizens of the U.S. are less environmentally literate than ever. Aside from the undeniable role of nature in our survival as a species, building children’s connection with nature has been shown to improve focus and enhance academic performance. These outcomes motivate our program, which works to build a connection between young people and the environment. The 2016 Canopy Connections Team is part of the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon, which engages students in collaborative, interdisciplinary service-learning projects addressing environmental education needs in our community. Together, we created a curriculum that will reach over 250 local middle-school students through 9 day long field trips. The field trip takes place in an old-growth ecosystem at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (HJA) in Blue River, OR. It introduces middle-school students to several long-term ecological research projects being conducted at HJA. Using hands-on, place-based activities, we aim to empower students to gain awareness about the environment and take action to protect it. In addition, through our partnership with the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute, participants will ascend 90-feet up a Douglas-fir tree. By immersing students in an old-growth forest, we hope to strengthen their connection to the magnificent place we call home as well as inspire future environmental stewardship.