With so many groups, nature centers, schools and organizations around the globe actively connecting children to nature and its benefits, it’s difficult to shine Leaf Litter’s Spotlight on just one. Instead, we asked the folks in each of our bioregion offices to highlight one organization in their area. We’re pleased to feature them here, and we are grateful that they are part of an ever increasing, global network of change makers.

Southeast Bioregion
North Carolina State University’s Natural Learning Initiative promotes the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of all children, through environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of information.

Southwest Basin & Range Bioregion
The Santa Fe Mountain Center calls itself a “classroom without walls.” Their outdoor, experiential adventure activities are designed to help participants, many of whom are native youth, break through self-limiting beliefs, discover their potential, and build positive self-identify and resiliency.

Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion
The Greater Baltimore Children & Nature Collaborative fosters opportunities for networking and partnerships among the various sectors (health, education, business, faith, arts) involved in efforts to connect children age birth to young adult to nature.

Hudson River Bioregion
The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School provides a rigorous, college-preparatory education built upon New York City’s maritime experience. The school strives to instill in its students the ethics and skills of environmental stewardship as well as on water job skills.

Great Lakes Bioregion
The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village, Ohio offers quality nature, environmental and science experiences with planetarium programs, nature hikes and a variety of wildlife exhibits, along with domestic and wildlife close encounters. The Center provides free admission seven days a week and performs wildlife rehabilitation at no charge to the public runs its programs based on the principles that learning is fun and children learn best by doing.

Ohio River Bioregion
The Louisville Nature Center and Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve has a mission is to provide nature education and encourage stewardship in an urban forest.

Southern Rocky Mountain Bioregion
Greater Outdoor Colorado (GOCO) uses a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to preserve, protect and enhance the state’s wildlife, parks, rivers, trails, and open spaces. GOCO has committed more than $715 million to nearly 3,500 projects in all of the state’s 64 counties. This includes Larimer County’s recent “Plug in to Nature” project, a comprehensive analysis to determine ways to combat nature deficit disorder.

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