USFS Children’s Forest
Corridor Project


United States Forest Service (USFS) Children’s Forest Corridor Project is
 a collaborative effort with the USFS Rocky Mountain Division that will link parks and nature centers to create a cohesive network of outdoor spaces along the South Platte River, near downtown Denver. A website for resource sharing will also be developed.

What is a Children’s Forest?

Get outside… Learn… Make a connection… Children’s Forests are places where kids and families are connecting to the out doors. Visit your local Children’s Forest for a high quality outdoor learning experience created by kids and their and their communities. Explore the opportunities for kids to get involved in hands-on projects, learn about natural environments, and take care of these special places.

nature-watch-1Peaks to Prairies: A Children’s Forest Corridor is designed to encourage Coloradans to celebrate and engage in the great outdoors. Like the rest of the nation’s children, Colorado’s children do not spend adequate time outside playing in and discovering the natural world. Unfortunately, they are becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world.

The Colorado partners involved in the Peaks to Prairies: Children’s Forest Corridor projects are focused on the connection between the health and wellbeing of the state’s residents and the benefits of engaging in outdoor activities, particularly for Colorado’s youth.

kids-outsidePeaks to Prairies: A Children’s Forest Corridor is based on the concept of creating a network of natural places for kids to physically and educationally engage. The US Forest Service convened a broad set of partners to introduce this place‐based corridor concept in hopes of creating a sustainable, focused initiative that celebrates the diversity of Colorado’s natural landscapes and creates mechanisms for interaction and education along the way. By using the South Platte River as the natural connector or corridor, the vision of celebrating a series of outdoor spaces that highlight our public lands and inspire engagement was created.

At its core, Peaks to Prairies: A Children’s Forest Corridor is based on the concept of creating a linear network of natural places for children to physically take the “green steps” necessary to move from their backyard to local and state parks, nature centers, open space areas, and eventually to natural forests and grasslands. Utilizing the South Platte River corridor as a natural connector, it provides a unique opportunity to take children and their families on a journey across a variety of landscapes.

 

GP RED is proud to be a sponsor of the Get Outside Colorado Project

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