Outdoor school - an economic investment

Measure 99 would allocate 4 percent of funds from the Oregon Lottery toward Outdoor School, a program that brings fifth-and sixth-grade students to one of the state's designated camp areas for a week.

As the former owner and director of Camp Tamarack, I can personally speak of the positive reasons every child in Oregon needs to attend Outdoor School and why economic development funds are an appropriate funding source.

Years ago, our youngest son attended Outdoor School for a week as part of his sixth-grade curriculum, discovering the joys associated with learning about the environment. This fueled his love of the out-of-doors and eventually lead to a degree in environmental education. Today he demonstrates this philosophy through the development of his award-winning business, B-Line Urban Sustainable Delivery, whose mission is to have a positive effect on the environment.

Most everyone who lives in Sisters is aware of the work of the Ten Friends projects in Nepal.

Rand Runco, one of the founders of Ten Friends, firmly believes that through Outdoor School Sisters' kids develop an appreciation for the out-of-doors, build social skills, and often have their first away-from-home experience.

From this students gain a sense of place, their role in the world, a desire to travel and the need to help others.

These are the kids that become counselors of Outdoor School, participate in outdoor leadership classes and end up accompanying their teachers to Nepal.

What better way is there to develop citizens prepared to add to the economic development of our area than to teach them how to lead, teach, help others and be aware of the importance of their surroundings?

Outdoor School will create 600 full-time jobs as the number of camps rise from 42 to around 100. It takes many hands to run a camp when you put together the maintenance people, cooks, counselors, teachers, directors, nurses and program personnel that are needed to produce such an operation.

An editorial in The Bulletin noted that many children are already attending Outdoor School, due to help from businesses and local school districts.

That is true; however, many may still not be able to go.

In the Bend-La Pine district, schools such as Jack Ensworth Elementary School have a very difficult time finding money for extra activities.

Randy King, a second-grade teacher from Ensworth and a Sisters resident, said it is extremely difficult for parents to provide money for field trips and other excursions.

If that is true for a one-day outing how much harder it must be for a week-long camping experience? These are the children who need Outdoor School the most since they are the ones who often can't go to a summer camp or participate in programs provided through Bend Parks and Rec.

Unfortunately, for single parents and low-income families, it is very difficult for their kids to get the kind of experiences the rest of us take for granted.

Yes, Sisters' kids usually get to go to Outdoor School.

However, this is not true in many other districts throughout the state.

The Outdoor School For All initiative proposes setting aside four percent of annual lottery dollars to fund a full week of outdoor school programming for every Oregon 5th- or 6th-grader. At no time will this exceed $22 million in any year. The cost for a week of Outdoor School is less than $400 per child, and the money allotted would allow 50,000 kids to go to Outdoor School every year. In addition, each year 3,000 teen mentors would acquire leadership and counseling skills by participating with the younger students.

The economic impact each year is estimated at $27 million by supporting 600 FTE jobs, mostly in rural Oregon. In addition, that $27 million goes directly to local Oregon businesses and organizations who are service providers. What a win-win investment of $22 million.

Let's not be short-sighted in how we allocate those economic development dollars. Not only is Outdoor School for All an economic investment, it is also an investment in the future of our children. I encourage everyone to vote for Measure 99.