The Eastern Region is the most urbanized portion of the entire country. Eastern Region national forests form a perimeter around a vast band of urban areas, including nearly half of the top twenty metropolitan areas in the U.S.
Boston, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit are cities where we are developing interagency partnerships with groups of interested citizens who share our vision. We seek to increase existing urban outreach efforts and connect them to education, research and development work throughout the U.S.
Through Urban Connections , an urban outreach program, all three branches of the Forest Service in the Eastern Region work with active urban community organizations to involve urban constituents in conservation education, community "greening" efforts, and visiting national forests. By tying in with existing community programs, we improve our understanding of what urban people think of and want from their national forests and for the Forest Service to build relationships with our urban neighbors. Through partnerships with national forests, other federal agencies, as well as state and local organizations, we can bridge the gaps between rural communities and city dwellers.
Though the sheer number of interested people makes it a daunting task, we are committed to opening new doors between the forests and our urban constituents, while continuing to work closely with our rural communities.
More kids in the woods
Recent studies document that children are gravitating away from outdoor experiences and towards a virtual indoor reality. This growing disconnect from nature has serious ramifications for the health - physical, mental, and spiritual - of our children. Currently about nine million children are overweight or obese facing an increased risk of lifelong, chronic disease. Studies show that outdoor recreation keeps people fit and binds family and friends - thus recreation can help make our children stronger and more social. Studies also show that outdoor experimental learning, when correlated to classroom curricula, can help children succeed academically.
