The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting applications from school administrators to join in a pilot program developed with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office and the Natural State Initiative Advisory Council that will offer outdoor education opportunities within curriculum that can be seamlessly incorporated into lesson plans throughout the school day.

The pilot project, announced at a press conference held by Gov. Sanders at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center June 4, will be a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and will help equip students for a future career in outdoor recreation.

Thirty schools will be chosen from across the state to participate in the program during its first year. If successful, the partnering agencies will prepare for a statewide launch. School administrators and teachers interested in elevating outdoor education opportunities on their campuses can apply through the AGFC’s School of Conservation Leadership program and complete a letter of intent to AGFC Chief of Education Mary Beth Hatch at marybeth.hatch@agfc.ar.gov.

Natural resource agencies have worked for years to develop additional curricula and lesson plans for educators to bring the outdoors into the classroom, but Hatch says this new program takes an entirely fresh approach, working with teachers to develop pathways into regular coursework instead of proposing additional workloads for teachers and students.

“As a teacher with 13 years of experience in the classroom, I know how educators are constantly asked to add this ‘one more thing’ into their curriculum, and that those additions add up to an overwhelming and unachievable task,” Hatch said. “What we’ve designed is a playbook to truly incorporate outdoor education in your school, not just as one more thing a teacher has to add to their already taxed workload, but as something that integrates seamlessly into science, social studies, math, language arts, art, PE and a variety of elective courses. It’s not one more thing; it’s a new way to present what’s already being taught that’s been developed with the help of professionals in the outdoor recreation and conservation industry.”

Sanders said the program will help students develop skills and knowledge that can be applied to career tracks in outdoor recreation and conservation, which is one of the largest driving factors in Arkansas’s economy.

In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, Arkansas welcomed more than 50 million visitors who spent nearly $10 billion, much of it on outdoor recreation opportunities.

"A student's education should not be fully reliant on technology and smart devices," Sanders said. "This program emphasizes another reason why my husband, Bryan, and I started the Natural State Initiative: to get kids off screens and outside. Thank you to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for investing in our kids' future and promoting outdoor education.”

"Getting kids outside is one of the best things we can do for them, improving their education, health and quality of life," said first gentleman and Natural State Initiative Advisory Council Chair Bryan Sanders. “This program will inspire our kids to develop a greater appreciation for The Natural State and help Arkansas build a pipeline of future workers and entrepreneurs to support our growing tourism industry and outdoor economy.”

Email marybeth.hatch@agfc.ar.gov for more information.