{"id":74740,"date":"2024-07-08T10:43:12","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T17:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savetheredwoods.org\/?p=74740"},"modified":"2024-12-23T11:14:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T19:14:17","slug":"how-redwood-rides-helps-close-the-nature-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savetheredwoods.org\/redwoods-magazine\/autumn-winter-2024\/how-redwood-rides-helps-close-the-nature-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"How Redwood Rides helps close the nature gap"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By eliminating the largest barrier between underrepresented communities and redwoods parks\u2014lack of transportation\u2014Redwood Rides not only expands outdoor access, but inspires the next generation to care about the ancient forests. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a Wednesday morning in June, a bus pulled into the campground at Samuel P. Taylor State Park<\/a>, a 2,882-acre expanse of redwood trees, oak-dotted grasslands, and chaparral in west Marin County. Out shuffled 22 kids, accompanied by three young chaperones and a parent. As sunshine streamed down on their heads, the kids looked around with nervous excitement. A few pulled out their cell phones and pointed them skyward, toward the tops of the towering redwoods.<\/p>\n

Dressed in matching blue T-shirts, these young visitors were part of the youth program at the Asian Pacific American Community Center<\/a> (APACC), a nonprofit that serves predominantly low- and moderate-income families in San Francisco\u2019s Visitacion Valley neighborhood. Although the state park was only a 36-mile drive north, it was worlds away from the paved streets and modest rowhouses these children call home.<\/p>\n

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Kelvin Chan, APACC program manager, says many working or single parents in the community don\u2019t have the time or the opportunities to bring their families to a redwood park. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Redwood Rides arranged transportation to Samuel P. Taylor State Park in west Marin County. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The group had arrived thanks to Redwood Rides, a Save the Redwoods League program that coordinates bus rides to the redwoods for organizations serving Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities. Working with parks agencies and a low-cost transportation provider, the League acts somewhat like a travel agent for community groups, facilitating transportation, trip-planning logistics, and programming.<\/p>\n

While redwood parks are visited by millions of annual visitors from around the world, many people from local communities have difficulty accessing these natural spaces. \u201cStudies on outdoor access shows that transportation is the number one barrier,\u201d says Leslie Parra, outreach program manager for Save the Redwoods League.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our kids come from low-income backgrounds,\u201d says Kelvin Chan, APACC program manager. \u201cTheir parents work possibly two jobs, some are single parents. So they don\u2019t have the time or the opportunities to come all the way up here without programs like [Redwood Rides].\u201d<\/p>\n

Removing barriers to the big trees<\/h3>\n
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Young visitors from the APACC youth program take in the wonders of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Redwood Rides not only provides free bus rides but also enables participants to experience the redwoods in a comfortable setting. \u201cWhat makes this program special is that people get to travel in community, with their friends or peers or afterschool group,\u201d says Parra. For many people of color, being able to visit a park with their family and community is crucial to feeling safe and experiencing a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

Since launching in 2022, Redwood Rides has provided roughly 30 rides per year to groups such as Latino Outdoors<\/a>, Saved By Nature<\/a>, and service centers like the APACC. By connecting underrepresented communities with places like Muir Woods National Monument, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the program not only expands access to these ancient and majestic trees but also inspires the next generation to have a vested interest in protecting the ancient forest.<\/p>\n

Though that connection can take time to build….<\/p>\n

“Too many suspicious insects”<\/h3>\n
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Young visitors with the Asian Pacific American Community Center’s youth program. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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State parks interpreter Kourtney Boone leads a multi-sensory hike through the forest at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having arrived during the third annual California State Parks Week<\/a>, the group from the APACC was able to participate in a public program titled, \u201cExperiencing the Redwoods Through Five Senses.\u201d State parks interpreter Kourtney Boone led the kids on a sensory hike through the forest, encouraging them to use their eyes, ears, nose, and even mouth to experience various aspects of the park.<\/p>\n

Hiking up the Pioneer Tree Trail, she stopped to ask the kids what they had heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe river.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFootsteps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBirdies!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boone praised their observational skills and pointed out that \u201cpart of being out here and listening to those sounds is really understanding that we are part of this environment as well. You guys being here today, you\u2019re not only showing respect to your environment. You\u2019re creating a relationship with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A visit to the redwoods offers city kids a chance to connect with nature and test their courage in the outdoors. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On that note, Boone gave the kids a few minutes to explore on their own. Some began scampering over rocks across a seasonal creek. But a few kids sat like stones on a stump.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething doesn\u2019t smell right,\u201d said a 12-year-old named Justin. \u201cToo many suspicious insects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of flies,\u201d agreed Sammy, age 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to fall,\u201d said Sofia, also 10. \u201cIf you fall, there\u2019s rocks down there, and you might hit your head and get a concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding their happy place<\/h3>\n
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Sharing a laugh during a group trip facilitated by Redwood Rides. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite all this fear and trepidation, as the hike continued, the children’s demeanor relaxed. Perhaps this wasn\u2019t so surprising, considering that studies have shown that being in nature not only reduces stress<\/a>, but also improves mood<\/a> and enhances social connection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yobani, age 10, said he wasn\u2019t used to so much walking, but that the park made him feel happy. \u201cThe shapes of the leaves\u2014it\u2019s interesting,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s poisonous and not poisonous, facts about it. It makes me interested to explore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, when Boone encouraged the kids to gently break off the tender, bright-green new growth on a redwood branch and put the needles in their mouths, Sofia turned to her friends and said, \u201cI\u2019m so happy! I taste grass.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mary Vo, mother of Nathan and Dylan, both 12, said being in nature allows her kids to just be themselves. \u201cThey can just explore and roam and be free without the distractions.\u201d Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the kids had looked at, listened to, and even tasted the forest, Boone told them to employ another sense\u2014their sense of belonging. \u201cWhen it comes to redwoods, it\u2019s important to sit with those and understand that we do belong out here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Asked whether this idea resonated with her, 10-year-old Sofia responded, \u201cYeah, because I\u2019m also part of nature, which means I technically belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Redwood Rides participants build connections with nature and their community. Photo by Vivian Chen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After feasting on their lunches in the shady Redwood Grove, a group of kids decided to climb the stump of a huge redwood, the ghost of a parent tree still connected to its mature sprouts. The children jumped and slid down the steep, smooth bark, yelling and screaming with a mix of fear and delight.<\/p>\n

The forest was no longer alien, but their playground.<\/p>\n

Although the official program was over, the group decided to further explore the park, investigating on their own terms. According to Chan, the entire group\u2014himself included\u2014returned home with \u201ca newfound appreciation for nature\u201d and its ability to provide a break from the stresses of life. In the redwoods, he said, the kids could just \u201cbe kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This feature appears in the beautiful printed edition of Redwoods<\/em> magazine, a showcase of redwoods conservation stories by leading scientists and writers, as well as breathtaking photos, and ways you can help the forest. Only a selection of these stories are available online.<\/p>\n

Join our thousands of members today<\/a><\/strong> for only $25, and you\u2019ll get future editions of our Redwoods<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read more highlights from the Autumn-Winter 2024 Edition<\/a> online.<\/div>\n