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Nature is for everyone.
Nature is for everyone.
It is essential that every student, regardless of identity and ability, has the opportunity to deepen their relationship with the environment and expand their knowledge of science. As stated in the Learning in Places Frameworks, there are many complex, and often interconnected, systems at play regarding how people interact with nature, such as power structures, historicity, and cultural relationships. Taking these systems into account, our team made it a priority to celebrate students who have historically been excluded from these spaces and create an environment where they feel valued and important.
Our team led four life skills classes over two weeks, catering each trip to the needs of individual classes.
Our curriculum has also been transcreated into Spanish for non-English speaking students.
Life Skills Classes
Life Skills Classes
In collaboration with the 4J and Springfield School Districts, our team extended the reach of the Environmental Leadership Program’s Climate Science initiative by welcoming life skills classes to the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest for the first time in the program’s 18-year history. Traditionally, these classes had not been included in the Climate Science team’s outreach. In 2025, we made it a priority to change that by broadening our scope to support equity in science education and ensure that students of all abilities have access to meaningful outdoor learning experiences.
From the earliest stages of planning, accessibility emerged as a central concern. Many trails at H.J. Andrews feature steep, uneven terrain that prompted us to re-evaluate how the program supports mobility needs. Our accessibility coordinator worked closely with Dr. Katie Lynch, Co-Director of the Environmental Leadership Program and mentor of the Climate Science team, to review previous approaches and discovered that accessibility had been largely overlooked in prior years. Further conversations with educators and the Hilyard Adaptive Recreation Center revealed that many students with disabilities are placed in life skills classes, which had historically been excluded from our programming.
Determined to address this gap, our team reached out to Special Education Program Administrators in the 4J and Springfield districts. As a result, we coordinated two dedicated field days with four middle and high school life skills classes. With logistical support from the Hilyard Adaptive Recreation Center, students were transported to the forest to participate in a fully adapted learning experience.
To ensure a successful and inclusive visit, our team redesigned both the pre-trip lessons and on-site activities to accommodate a wide range of learning and mobility needs. Adaptive equipment such as all-terrain wheelchairs and portable seating was made available, and instructional materials including nature journals were modified to match each classroom’s developmental and physical needs. Rather than relying on rigid lesson plans, our facilitators focused on conveying the core essence of each topic through sensory engagement, interactive learning, and relationship-building.
This effort marks a meaningful step forward in our mission to make outdoor science education more inclusive and it underscores the importance of designing programs that reflect the diverse abilities and experiences of all students.
Spanish Transcreated Lessons
Spanish Transcreated Lessons
The 2025 Climate Science team is pleased to have the opportunity of expanding climate learning for Spanish-speaking students through transcreative lesson plans. "Transcreation" is the process of adapting content to resonate emotionally and culturally with an audience. The primary focus of this method is to create a culturally relevant translation of language that maintains the same message while steering away from conventional word-for-word translation.
This year, our Spanish-speaking team member led the transcreation of our curriculum, adapting it to connect Spanish-speaking students with the unique environment of Oregon's Western Cascade mountains. Each of the four lessons were transcreated to fit the needs of the student, and the nature journal, a crucial resource used during field trip lessons, was also translated to ensure accessibility.
Representation is essential for nurturing a sense of belonging. Through cultural connection and transcreated lesson plans, our Spanish-speaking team member formed a personal bond with our Spanish-speaking student, creating invaluable memories that will last a lifetime. These efforts underscore our commitment to making environmental education accessible and meaningful to students from diverse backgrounds, fostering a more inclusive and equitable approach to climate education.
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