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Monday, May 29, 2023

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Advocates call for a climate peace clause in U.S.-E.U. trade talks, negotiations yield a tentative debt ceiling deal, an Idaho case unravels federal water protections, and a wet spring eases Iowa's drought.

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Gold Star families gather to remember loved ones on Memorial Day, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says the House will vote on a debt ceiling bill this week and America's mayors lay out their strategies for summertime public safety.

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The growing number of "maternity care deserts" makes having a baby increasingly dangerous for rural Americans, a Colorado project is connecting neighbor to neighbor in an effort to help those suffering with mental health issues, and a school district in Maine is using teletherapy to tackle a similar challenge.

For Students, A Trip to the Forest is a Game Changer

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Thursday, September 22, 2022   

As California's children settle into the new school year, about 1,500 students will soon take the field trip of a lifetime to see the giant redwoods.

The nonprofit Save the Redwoods League works with schools from Santa Cruz up to Humboldt.

Emily Wiberg, a fourth grade math teacher at Achieve Academy in Oakland, said the day trip to Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is a game-changer for children from under-resourced communities.

"For the majority of them, it's their first time being out in nature," Wiberg pointed out. "It's really exciting to see them getting their hands dirty and exploring."

Wiberg's class also takes part in the watershed program at Crab Cove, in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District. There, children put on waders and examine the marine ecosystem. Trips for junior high and high school students focus more on scientific data collection.

Deborah Zierten, education manager for the Save the Redwoods League, said the program promotes diversity, equity and inclusion by creating opportunities in all communities.

"We try and provide free bus transportation, or if they're able to provide buses, we always provide free instruction when we get to the forest," Zierten explained. "We don't want to charge because we don't want that to be a barrier."

The program hopes to inspire students to consider careers in forestry and natural-resource management. And it teaches students about threats to the watershed and old-growth forests such as development, wildfires, and drought linked to climate change.

Disclosure: The Save the Redwoods League contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Environment, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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