The future of the world’s natural resources rests in the hands of the next generation, our amazing kids. We should inspire and encourage young people to treasure open spaces and engage in activities centered around stewardship of nature and managing the great outdoors.

Children that spend time outdoors in creation increase their academic science skills, become more involved in their neighborhoods, and are healthier, happier, and more exposed to careers involving natural resources. These kids experience the gift of real-life context while learning about the natural world.

As parents, teachers, and mentors we should be striving to set the example and exemplify less screen time, demonstrating more outside green time is important. New technologies such as geographic information systems or remote sensing can promote outdoor learning and add more insight.

You can share information to instruct young people not only to identify natural resources but to recognize the incredible importance of trees, forests, wildlife, and insects in both rural and urban environments highlighting their contribution to the quality of our lives. Society as a whole needs to pass along stewardship skills of our natural resources to our children and grandchildren. This will ensure life-sustaining products will remain in production as well as understanding and protecting the environment for the future.

A few examples of programs available to educate young people from the Forestry Service are adopt-a-tree, feeder watch, plant-a-tree, stream clean up, habitat creation, and invasive plant removal.