Impacts from COVID-19: Resilient Outdoor Science Programs Need Support as Challenges Persist (original) (raw)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States and forced widespread lockdowns, closures, and social distancing, the field of outdoor science education continues to be fragile, with many organizations teetering on the brink of collapse. Despite easing restrictions and with new concerns about coronavirus variants, the challenges facing the field persist. Data show that the past year brought devastating programmatic, financial, educational, and organizational impacts. In the first year and a half of the pandemic, organizations were forced to drastically redesign their programming to comply with public health guidelines, often resulting in less and lower-quality programming. Organizations have been faced with massive reductions in revenue and staffing. The number of students who have had opportunities to learn about and make connections to the outdoors has been reduced to a fraction of pre-pandemic levels. However, while the majority of program ...