BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1603
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Date of Hearing: April 8, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
AB 1603 (Stone) - As Introduced: February 5, 2014
SUBJECT : Parks; Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation
Program
SUMMARY : Establishes an Outdoor Environmental Education and
Recreation Program in the Department of Parks & Recreation
(DPR). Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation
Program in DPR for the purpose of increasing the ability of
underserved and at-risk populations, especially youth, to
participate in outdoor recreation and educational experiences
by awarding grants to public entities or nonprofit
organizations for outdoor environmental education programs
that are available to the public.
2)Establishes the Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation
Fund in the State Treasury, and requires monies in the fund to
be used, upon appropriation of the Legislature, for grants to
qualified outdoor environmental education programs. States
intent that the fund be capitalized with moneys from the State
General Fund and from donations the director of DPR would be
authorized to accept from private donors for support of the
program.
3)Requires the director of DPR to:
a) Administer the program, giving priority to
underserved populations in both urban and rural areas and
low-income communities with limited participation in
outdoor environmental education programs, and
b) Develop program components, including criteria for
awarding grants, staffing and budget needs.
4)Requires the California Environmental Education Interagency
Network (CEEIN) to serve as advisor to the director in
developing the program.
5)Requires the director of DPR, in developing criteria for
awarding grants to give priority to environmental education
programs that have the following attributes:
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a) Serve primarily at-risk youth and underserved
demographic groups;
b) Is a partnership between public and private
entities;
c) Contribute to healthy lifestyles, nutrition, and
outdoor exercise and recreation;
d) Maximize the number of participants served;
e) Commit in-kind resources to the program;
f) Has a curriculum that is aligned with specified
educational standards, including curriculum developed
under the existing statewide environmental education
program;
g) Include service learning and community outreach
components for purposes of building partnerships between
participants and local communities.
6)Requires the director of DPR to submit a report to the
Legislature by January 1, 2016 on the criteria developed for
the program and the availability of grant funding. Authorizes
the director to recommend further legislative action to
improve the program.
7)Provides that the program established by this bill shall
sunset on January 1, 2019 unless extended by a statute enacted
before that date.
8)States legislative findings and declarations regarding state
programs and efforts regarding environmental education.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes a statewide environmental education program, to be
administered by the Office of Education and Environment within
the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in
cooperation with other agencies. The program, among other
things, calls for development of a unified education strategy
on the environment for elementary and secondary schools,
including environmental education principles.
2)Requires the Office of Education and Environment to develop a
model environmental education curriculum, to submit the
curriculum to the Instructional Quality Commission for review,
to make the curriculum available electronically, and to
coordinate with other state agencies to facilitate its use.
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3)Establishes the Environmental Education Account in the State
Treasury and authorizes the Department of Resources Recycling
and Recovery to expend funds in the account.
4)States legislative findings and declarations (contained in SB
96 (Leno), the Resources Budget Trailer bill of 2013) that the
State's model Education and the Environment Curriculum is the
first of its kind in the nation to receive State Board of
Education approval. Declares that the Department of Resources
Recycling and Recovery should collaborate across agencies and
disciplines, including the Californian Environmental
Protection Agency (CalEPA), the California Department of
Education (CDE), and the Natural Resources Agency (NRA), to
achieve the goal of promoting environmental literacy and use
of the curriculum.
5)Establishes DPR which is responsible for administering the
state park system. DPR has also been directed under prior
bond acts to administer grant programs for local and regional
parks and related programs. Authorizes DPR to provide spaces
within the state park system for schools to use for
environmental education.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill would establish a grant program to be
administered by DPR, to provide funding for outdoor
environmental education programs operated by public entities or
nonprofit organizations. Priority would be given in awarding
the grants to programs serving at-risk youth and underserved
populations, in addition to other factors. Priority would also
be given to programs using curricula aligned with approved state
educational standards. The director of DPR would be responsible
for developing the program and reporting to the Legislature.
Funding for the program would come from the state General Fund
and private donations, though an amount anticipated to be needed
for funding is not specified.
The author notes that "in many underserved communities outdoor
environmental education and recreation programs provide the only
exposure that children have to nature and the environment.
Outdoor environmental education provides students with memorable
real-world experiences which increase interest in science and
environmental stewardship. Encouraging such interests may also
help students increase their interest and abilities in science,
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technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, which
will help ensure that California remains a leader in these
fields in the future."
Background : This bill is patterned after a prior environmental
education pilot program that was in effect for one year in 2004,
and is substantially similar to other legislative proposals
introduced since that time, the most recent of which was AB 2989
(Fuentes) in 2008.
AB 1330 (Simitian), Chapter 633, Statutes of 2003, established
the Outdoor Environmental Education Program, administered by the
CDE, to support outdoor environmental programs serving primarily
at-risk youth. The program involved participation in outdoor
environmental activities, including service learning and
community outreach components. The program was in effect for
one year, sunset on January 1, 2005, and was repealed on January
1, 2006.
Independent review of AB 1330 program : AB 1330 called for an
independent study of the benefits of the program. The study was
performed by the American Institutes for Research and focused on
255 sixth-grade students from four elementary schools who
attended three outdoor education programs in Tulare, Los
Angeles, and San Diego Counties in 2004. The study found that,
among other things, the science test scores of children who
participated in these programs were raised by 27%. The children
also exhibited measurable improvements in conflict resolution
and problem solving, self-esteem, and learning motivation.
Children who attended the outdoor science programs showed
statistically significant positive gains in all eight constructs
on which they were rated. Also of note, 56% of the participants
reported that the outdoor school experience represented the
first time they had spent time in a natural setting. The study
did note that due to the small sample size, "findings cannot be
generalized to all students attending outdoor education programs
in California, particularly because of the range of programs
that exist. However, this research indicates a large number of
positive outcomes for at-risk children who attend resident
outdoor science schools certified by the California Department
of Education."
Other Prior Legislation : AB 2989 (Fuentes) of 2008 was
substantially similar to this bill and passed the Assembly but
was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.
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AB 2989 initially proposed that funding for the program come
from the Environmental License Plate Fund (ELPF) but was later
amended to make implementation contingent on funding being
provided in the annual budget act, without a specific source
being identified. SB 207 (Padilla) of 2007, also substantially
similar to this bill, proposed that funding come from the
General Fund and donations. SB 207 also died on the Senate
Appropriations Committee suspense file. SB 1649 (Alarcon) of
2006 proposed to fund the program from the Resources Trust Fund
(tidelands revenue) and the ELPF. SB 1649 also died on the
Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.
AB 1330 (Simitian), the bill which enacted the original pilot
program in 2003, provided that the program and its evaluation
would be implemented only if the Department of Finance
determined that private funds were made available for purposes
of the costs of the program and its evaluation.
DPR Grant Administration Experience : DPR has a long history of
administering grant programs, many of which have been temporary
programs funded with state bond funds. Some of those programs
have included a recreational program component, though most of
them have been for acquisition or development of park lands or
facilities used for outdoor recreation rather than for funding
of the programmatic costs themselves. These grant programs are
administered by DPR's Office of Grants and Loans, and are
dependent largely on availability of bond funding. Since 2000,
over 90% of the grant funds administered by DPR have come from
bond acts approved by the voters. The most recent of these was
Proposition 84, which, among other things, made $368 million
available for a statewide park program emphasizing creation of
park space for underserved communities. Those funds have all
been awarded at this point. DPR indicates that over 900
applications were received requesting over $3 billion in funding
for the $368 million available.
DPR also administers several outdoor education and recreation
programs funded entirely with outside private donations. For
example, DPR's Office of Community Involvement administers a
youth leadership program entitled "Outdoor Youth Connection"
which trains youth leaders to conduct outdoor recreational
outings, DPR's FamCamp Program which introduces families from
low income urban communities to camping, and an Outdoor
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Recreational Leadership Training program that trains community
leaders of other organizations to lead their own outdoor
recreational activities. DPR indicates that over the past four
years these programs collectively have been funded through an
average of $125,000 received annually in donations from private
sources. While these programs have been well received by
participants, they have been limited in scope and capacity due
to the limited nature of the funding.
Finally, DPR's Division of Interpretation and Education offers a
summer learning program for urban schools funded through a grant
from the Packard Foundation and the California State Parks
Foundation, and administers a distance learning
videoconferencing program known as PORTS which brings park
interpretation to kids in K-12 public school classrooms through
their computers.
Other state Environmental Education Programs : While there are
other existing state programs related to environmental
education, few if any of these are focused specifically on
providing grant funding for actual development and
implementation of outdoor environmental education programs
serving at-risk youth. In addition to the programs mentioned
above, the CDE develops curricula for use by educators in the
classroom, and the Office of Environment and Education in the
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery coordinates the
development of model environmental education curricula.
However, neither of these offices provides grants for actual
development and implementation of outdoor environmental
education programs. Some county offices of education and local
school districts operate outdoor environmental education
resident science programs. However, these programs are
generally operated as fee for service programs, which not all
schools can afford, and are not available statewide.
What is the CEEIN? : This bill provides that the California
Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN) would serve
as an advisor to the director of DPR in developing the program
components. The CEEIN is a state government consortium of
environmental educators representing departments, boards, and
commissions of the CDE, CalEPA, Natural Resources Agency, and
DFA. The partnership is solidified by a memorandum of
understanding, which has been signed by the state Superintendent
of Public Instruction and the secretaries of CalEPA, Natural
Resources Agency, and DFA. The CDE hosts the CEEIN Web site as
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one of its responsibilities on the partnership. The CEEIN meets
monthly. DPR has been a participant in the network but their
position on the steering committee is currently vacant.
Support Arguments : Supporters note that few funding sources
now exist for outdoor environmental education, which has been
shown to enhance academic achievement, critical thinking, and
lifetime environmental stewardship among students.
Organizations that provide outdoor environmental education
programs note that they have had to turn away more Title 1
schools and students each year due to lack of financial
resources for such programs. Supporters note that in order to
promote tomorrow's generation of environmental stewards, a
greater emphasis needs to be put on educational opportunities
that connect youth from the state's urban centers and
disadvantaged areas to nature. Supporters note that despite
California's stunning natural environment, fewer than 15% of
youth participate in outdoor education and recreation programs,
and that an even smaller fraction of youth living in urban
areas, especially those of lower-income and ethnic minorities,
have access to parks or other open space outdoor areas.
There has been growing recognition among educators, scientists,
and health professionals that many children, particularly in
inner city areas, may be suffering from what author Richard Louv
coined "Nature Deficit Disorder" in his best-selling book Last
Child in the Woods . These deficits are reflected in the growing
rates of obesity, diabetes, learning disorders, and other
problems experienced by California youth.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
California Park & Recreation Society
California State Parks Foundation
Camp SEA Lab
City of Capitola
City of Santa Cruz
County of Santa Cruz
Exploring New Horizons Outdoor Schools
Junior Explorers
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
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Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County
Sierra Club California
State Park Partners Coalition
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096