Youth Education & Outreach Program

In 2023, DNR launched its Youth Education and Outreach Program to facilitate place-based, career-connected, outdoor learning experiences on state lands and cultivate the next generation of natural resource professionals. 

The program is a part of DNR's larger workforce development strategy and our efforts to cultivate a natural resource workforce that meets the sector-wide needs and reflects the demographics of the communities we serve.

Youth Education and Land Mapping Tool 

The Youth Education and Land Mapping Tool (YELM) is designed to support K-12 teachers who are looking to get their students outside or instruct about land management in their communities. The tool is also designed for student use, especially in Career and Technical Education classes focused on natural resource management.  

YELM can be used to: 

• Identify DNR recreation sites that are proximal to schools and can be used to support outdoor education.  
• Connect schools to the local trust lands that support K-12 education.  
• Explore the history of land management at the community level, including Tribal history and fire history. 
• Identify land managers at the community level, to guide discussions about management objectives and the identification of partners for direct work with youth.  

You can find the YELM tool here or by clicking on the image below: 

Program Goals

The Youth Education and Outreach Program (YEOP) operates with four core goals at the center of its mission:

1. That formal and non-formal educators have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach about the complexities of natural resource management.
2. That Washington youth have place-based, experiential learning opportunities on public land to explore careers in natural resources and develop the skills used by natural resource professionals
3. To collaborate with educators, industry leaders, non-profits, and state agencies to inspire interest in and improve recruitment into natural resource sector careers, with a focus on demographic groups that have been historically excluded
4. That DNR staff have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to conduct successful outreach and education work with youth from diverse backgrounds across Washington

Program staff achieve these goals by tapping into the expertise of the more than 1,600 permanent natural resource professionals at DNR, and connecting our experts with youth audiences for career exploration and mentorship. Subjects presented to students include, but are not limited to forestry, aquaculture, ecology, geology, wildfire, horticulture, and wildlife habitat restoration. Students and educators also benefit from YEOP via increased access to the 5.6 million acres of DNR-managed lands across the state. Our public shorelines, rivers, forests, and grasslands are great outdoor classrooms for K-12 students to explore scientific phenomena and are currently an underutilized resource in public education. 

Washington's youth care deeply about issues that are central to DNR's mission, issues such as climate and wildfire resilience, protection of ecological and cultural resources, responsible recreation, sustainable resource management, and environmental justice. Many students and young adults feel hopeless about their ability to affect positive change. Additionally, most young people are not aware of the breadth of jobs available in natural resources, nor what educational pathways to those careers are available. 

Through YEOP, DNR will empower youth in decision-making processes, cultivate stewardship behaviors, build environmental literacy, and support the physical and mental wellbeing of young people through outdoor experiences. 

Specific Program Actions

YEOP works in partnership with Tribes, education institutions, government agencies, non-profits and industry to support a wide variety of activities and opportunities for students and educators. YEOP’s programming includes:  

• Field experiences for students to learn more about land management and how professional scientists evaluate ecosystem health  

• Guest speaking to bring the expertise of DNR’s staff into the classroom 

• Project-based learning that empowers students through hands-on activities that educate them on issues of local importance and elevates their voices as part of larger discussions about the future  

• Trainings for formal and non-formal educators to learn about natural resource management, career opportunities for their students, and curriculum resources they can use in their classrooms 

• Community events that provide opportunities for intergenerational learning and exploration of DNR-managed land 

• Youth internships coordinated in partnership with other entities to provide opportunities for youth to explore and prepare for natural resources careers 

In 2024, through the Youth Education and Outreach Program, DNR connected with more than 5,690 students, through field trips, guest speaking, community events, and career fairs and more than 830 adults, primarily at community events and evening STEM nights. The program served more than 95 teachers with half day, single day and multi-day trainings. In total, the program facilitated over 555 hours of programming, supporting over 6,101 hours of student learning and 1,006 hours of teacher learning. You can learn more about YEOP’s work in our annual report.  

We are working to build our network of statewide partners and would love to connect with you! You can reach the Youth Education and Outreach Program at yeop@dnr.wa.gov 

Available Resources

YEOP is a small program with limited resources, but we are committed to responding to as many requests as we can.

Click here to request a guest speaker for an educational event or program with a youth audience.

YEOP has created kits containing forestry tools that are available for check out for use in educational programs. Click here to request a kit