We have some exciting news about the current Maine State Legislative session: LD 895, An Act to Support Immersive Outdoor Education by Establishing the Outdoor School for All Maine Students Program, has passed out of committee and will soon be headed for a vote.
We need your help – please consider contacting your Maine state legislators today and urge them to support the passage of LD 895. Together we can ensure every student in Maine has the opportunity to attend an outdoor education experience, and take part in our shared outdoor heritage.
If you’re willing, please send the example email below (or the personal message of your choice) to your state legislators:
- Find your State Senators contact info: https://legislature.maine.gov/senate-home-page/find-your-state-senator
- Find your State Representative contact info: https://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/MemberProfiles
EXAMPLE EMAIL TEMPLATE:
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Subject Line: Please Support LD 895 (SP 384)- An Act to Support Immersive Outdoor Education by Establishing the Outdoor School for All Maine Students Program
Dear Senator/Representative _________:
I am a resident of ________, Maine, and I’d like to thank you for your strong support of our local community and your service to the State of Maine and I am hopeful that you will support LD 895 when it comes up for a vote in your chamber.
(A short description of your company/organization if appropriate): _________________________________
On March 13th, the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a hearing on LD 895 and 100% of the testimony was in favor of the bill and on March 25th, LD 895 passed out of that committee with a unanimous vote.
LD 895— Outdoor School for All Maine Students— is an incredibly popular and strongly bi-partisan bill with lead sponsorship from Sen. Rick Bennett. (The previous LD 1817 Outdoor School for All Maine Students bill during the last legislative session had 113 House and Senate cosponsors including co-sponsorship from the entire Maine Senate!) We believe the best next step for the State is the establishment of a one-year pilot project of the Outdoor School for All Maine Students Program with passage of LD 895. Here are several key points that justify creating for this program:
- Outdoor School is uniquely effective for students (and their classroom teachers):
- Outdoor School is hands-on, holistic, interdisciplinary learning focused on science and nature, and the connection between environmental stewardship, natural resource management, climate change, agriculture, and Maine’s economy.
- Outdoor School supports students’ mental health, social & emotional wellness, improving attendance and retention rates.
- Outdoor School builds self-sufficiency, leadership skills, and workforce knowledge.
- Outdoor School programs should be for all – LD 895 creates an equitable program that provides inspirational youth development opportunities for students from grades 4 – 8 throughout the state, including rural and urban settings, and districts of all income levels. Currently less than 25% of Maine students get the experience of an Outdoor School program.
- Outdoor School is NOT a mandate, but does provide an exciting and very accessible grant opportunity for every school district in the State to take advantage of this game changing educational youth development experience.
- Maine Outdoor School For All was founded in 2010 as a statewide network of outdoor education organizations that provide multi-day, overnight Outdoor School programming across Maine:
- The original network partners include Chewonki, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, The Ecology School, and the University of Maine 4-H Centers administered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Over 30,000 Maine students have benefited from Outdoor School Programs in the past fifteen years with over $5 million in funding raised through philanthropic support.
- This network doubled in size in 2023 to include Kieve Wavus Education, Maine Local Living School, Cobscook Institute, and the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership ensuring the network’s capacity to reach over 7,000 and hundreds of classroom teachers during this one-year pilot project period during the 2025-2026 school year.
- The Maine Outdoor School for All network is buttressed by a national Outdoor School for All Movement, which has already inspired successful state-funded programs in Oregon and Washington with current legislation pending in Minnesota and Maryland.
Why Outdoor School for All Maine Students would benefit my company/organization: _____________
The Maine Outdoor School for All Network’s goal is to raise through public/private collaboration $3.0 million to fund a one-year “Outdoor School for All Maine Students Pilot Project” for up to 7,000 Maine students and hundreds of classroom teachers in grades 4-8 and also cover costs for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (the largest provider of youth development programs outside of Maine public schools) to administer this innovative grant program for Maine schools. This $3 million appropriation would fund the $375/student cost of a 3 day/2 night program at an Outdoor School for up to 7,000 students and also fund $375,000 in administrative costs for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to run the program which includes distributing grants, running a state-wide Outdoor School advisory group and conducting an in-depth pilot project evaluation on the impact of Outdoor Schools on youth development in Maine.
I respectfully request that you vote for passage of LD 895, An Act to Support Immersive Outdoor Education by Establishing the Outdoor School for All Maine Students Program. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any further information.
Thank you, ______________
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Thank you so much. Just a few minutes of your time can ensure EVERY Maine student has a chance to experience the joy of outdoor learning in nature! We hope you’ll share the word with your friends and connections!
