Press Room

Sen. Gibbs Helps Get Kids Outdoors

Monday, May 10 2010

DENVER—Today, the Senate passed a bill by Senator Dan Gibbs (D-Summit County) to create a program which will help youth to enjoy the outdoors, regardless of income level or access to transportation. Sen. Gibbs is well known for his work as a Wildland Firefighter and an advocate for protecting forest health, but he is also a tremendous supporter of kids.

Sen. Gibbs said, "I would like kids to have the same opportunities that I have had in Colorado. Getting the next generation into nature will yield countless benefits, from combating childhood obesity to promoting environmental sustainability."

House Bill 1131 passed the Senate 24-11 on 3rd reading, final passage, and heads to the Governor’s office for signature.

The “Colorado Kids Outdoor Program” will make the state eligible for federal grant funds through the No Child Left Inside Act, which provides incentives to promote environmental education, nationally.

Sen. Gibbs worked with Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien and House sponsor, Rep. Christine Scanlan (D-Summit County) to create the program. Lt. Gov. O’Brian recently released a toolkit for communities and families with resources to encourage kids to spend more time being active outside.

The toolkit was developed as part of last year’s Colorado Kids Outdoors tour of 11 communities across the state. Lt. Gov. O’Brien visited the towns and cities to talk about successes and challenges around getting physically active outside. Recent studies show that kids spend half the time outdoors than 20 years ago, while childhood obesity rates have doubled in the same time frame.

“There are so many ways for kids to enjoy Colorado – from stepping out their front door to wilderness experiences. We hope that the toolkit will provide another resource to help communities and families find new avenues to make the outdoors a wonderful experience for our children,” said Lt. Gov. O’Brien.

Katie Navin, Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, said “This legislation will engage Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Department of Education, K-12 and community educators to develop a plan to use environmental education to help prepare students to address environmental challenges in Colorado. Being environmentally literate is essential in the 21st Century, whether entering the work force or higher education. The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, a network of over 750 environmental educators across the state, commends Representative Scanlan and Senator Gibbs for their leadership in advancing environmental literacy in Colorado.”

Julie Gustafson, Regional Education Program Manager of the National Wildlife Federation said, said “By passing this legislation, Colorado leaders have stepped up to help reverse the harmful trend of the indoor child.”

Components of the toolkit include:
-A guide to assess the needs in communities
-Ideas to get more kids into the outdoors
-Technical assistance and planning resources to help accomplish goals
-Relevant data and information sources
-A selection of potential grant and funding mechanisms
-An overview of opportunities to collaborate on a statewide level

The toolkit is available on Lt. Gov. O’Brien’s website at www.colorado.gov/ltgovernor under the Kids Outdoors button.