# data[].attributes.body
Primary OAK Contacts:

Elsa Rall, Marketing & Communications

Contact Email: communications@tetonscience.org
Website: www.tetonscience.org

Mission & Purpose:
Teton Science Schools is a proud educational partner of Grand Teton National Park. With campuses throughout Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Victor, Idaho, we have been connecting people, place, and nature through education since 1967. Our programs span early childhood to adult education, engaging learners of all ages in hands-on, place-based learning experiences.

Relevant Links:

Instagram: @tetonscience

Facebook: Teton Science Schools

Vimeo: Teton Science Schools

LinkedIn: Teton Science Schools

We’re excited to connect, collaborate, and share resources with the OAK community!

# data[].attributes.body
We are always looking to expand our reach, impact, and partnerships!

National Park Trust's mission is to preserve parks today and create park stewards for tomorrow. Since 1983, the Park Trust has acquired many of the missing pieces of our national parks, benefiting 55 national park sites across the country. Our national youth education and family initiatives, including our Buddy Bison, College Ambassador and Military Family Programs, and National Kids to Parks Day, serve tens of thousands of children annually and cultivate future park stewards.

Contact: Ivan Levin

ivan@parktrust.org

# data[].attributes.custom_properties.mnlhCaVQ
Funding, Partnership, Network, Resources, Family Opportunities, Youth Opportunities

# data[].attributes.body
Input from communities about what nature looks like in different places; opportunities to leverage playgrounds for family engagement

Contact: Robert Mayer, rmayer@kaboom.org

# data[].attributes.body
Ways to show success for two year funding for 4th graders

Contact: spiedesj@michigan.gov

# data[].attributes.body
Regional and national support, supplies/gear for youth, funding opportunities

Contact: Christy Brown, cbrown@militaryfamily.org

# data[].attributes.body
Education program practitioners at all levels and regional networks, hubs, etc within the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Contact: Meredith Lemke, lemkem@chesapeake.org

# data[].attributes.headline
Featured Resource- USDOT NOFO (Closes 09/30)

# data[].attributes.subject
Featured Resource- USDOT NOFO (Closes 09/30)

# data[].attributes.body
The USDOT released the NOFO for FY 2024-2026 Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) today. This is a huge opportunity – the USDOT will be awarding $607 million to projects that help reconnect communities previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. $457 million will be for capital construction and $150 million will be for community planning. This is all the remaining money from the original $1 billion that was authorized under the BIL, which may signal that the RCP Grant Program may not be funded again. Now’s the time.

Applications are due September 30th. Please check out the program’s website here for more information and to sign up for updates. On that page you can check out the FY22 and FY23 winners to see the types of bike, ped, and trail projects that were previously awarded grants, including some Bay Area agencies. USDOT will be hosting the first of several webinars next Tuesday, July 9 – see those here.The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has released an FY24 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) program. This is a continuation of two previous rounds of RCP Funding in FY22 and FY23. The RCP Program focuses on improving access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation, and foster equitable development and restoration, and provide technical assistance to further these goals.

"Funding for this fiscal year is a combined allocation of FY 2024, 2025, and 2026. Up to $607 million is available for planning, capital construction, and technical assistance. The funding will be implemented as appropriate and consistent with the priorities in Executive Order 14052."

# data[].attributes.body
Please include team members who are relevant OAK contacts, organization mission/purpose, and any relevant links (website, socials, etc) as well as your main areas of focus. This section will not be archived. Posts may be edited down for clarity/word count.

# data[].attributes.headline
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

# data[].attributes.subject
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

# data[].attributes.body
Outreach partners to help get the word out about sanctuaries and community engagement program

Contact: Allison Alexander, allison@marinesanctuary.org

# data[].attributes.body
Posted by: OAK

OAK’s Every Kid Outdoors Month of Action is happening September 3rd through October 5th. The purpose of this is to engage OAK member organizations (like you!) to plan tactics and activities throughout the month of September that show support for the Every Kid Outdoors Program, and/or the Every Kid Outdoors Act.

Here is the EKO Month of Action toolkit. This should have all the details you need to engage in our month of action. There are options in this toolkit for everyone - whether you take kids outdoors, have a strong social media presence, or are comfortable lobbying, there is a way for you to engage! Also, this toolkit is not all inclusive - if your organization has an idea of how to engage and show public support for Every Kid Outdoors, please let me know and we can add it to the toolkit. If your organization plans to engage in our month of action in any way, please fill out this quick form so we can uplift your events and efforts.

# data[].attributes.body
Trainings and opportunities to engage communities (and ourselves) in local government; programs that support intergenerational engagement; gear access/loan programs; transportation grants/programs

Contact: Mel Mendez, melmendez@latinooutdoors.org

# data[].attributes.body
Contact: David Beard, david@childrenandnature.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
All Resources | Children & Nature Network

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Each year, the Children and Nature Network awards the Richard Louv Prize for Innovation In Nature Connection. Through our application and selection process, we discover remarkable leaders making a difference globally. These individuals showcase unparalleled dedication to the natural world, our climate and the well-being of our youth.

# data[].attributes.body
Annual Emerging Leader's Summit

Contact: Rachel Lettre, rlettre@appalachiantrail.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Connect with ATC leaders and summit participants

Learn about Trail Stewardship and Conservation

Be Inspired through reflection and creative expression

ATC's commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) aspires to cultivate greater strength and resilience within and beyond the organization as we work to manage and protect the Appalachian Trail and the surrounding natural resources.
The application period for the 2024 Summit is now closed, please check back in the Spring of 2025 for information about the next Emerging Leaders Summit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 2024 Emerging Leaders' Summit will help young leaders aged 18-30 build career and professional skills, and spark a passion for Trail conservation.

# data[].attributes.body
Welcome to the OAK Community Board! This is a space for OAK members to find and forge connections beyond the annual meeting. We've got some requests/best practices for posting updates and/or comments:

1. Please be sure to put your organization as the headline for your post.

2. In your post, please include your specific ask/highlight/resource (it may even be helpful to bold or italicize), any relevant links (photos are welcome as well), and a closing/event date if relevant.

3. Please include a contact name and email address.

4. Please include relevant keywords from the following list for easy searching (definitions can be found here): Funding, Partnership, Network, Action, Advocacy, Resources, Youth Opportunities

Please note we will clear this board periodically, but will have an archived version available for folks who request it.

If you've made a successful connection through OAK, we'd love to hear about it and feature it! Email Julia (julia.hurwit@sierraclub.org).

# data[].attributes.body
Hamtramck HS Adventure Club  spent three days, 2 nights camping at Ossineke State Park, with the assistance of Bus for Outdoor Access and Teaching (BOAT), where we were able to embrace and be a part of the wilderness and shoreline of Lake Huron and the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary. We spent the start of the trip arriving at camp, immersing ourselves in the forest and gazing at the shoreline of Lake Huron, under the starry night sky. The next morning we arrived at Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, where the students hopped on a boat that toured them around some of the shipwrecks that are found within the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary. On the return back to the Heritage Center, students had the option to either take a tour of the museum or experience snorkeling for the first time in a renovated diving tank they had on site! The evening was spent swimming in Lake Huron and the students around the fire talking about the day, all that they look forward to on future trips, and appreciation for the opportunity to be in the Marine Sanctuary. Before leaving back to Hamtramck, the students gave back to the beach by going along the shoreline and doing a clean up walk before heading home. The looks of joy and the memories that were made are some that I know both the students and I will look back on for a lifetime. Thank you to OAK, NOAA, and BOAT for coming together to make this trip a reality!

-Uriel, Detroit Outdoors