I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6426 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out programs and activities 
for connecting children and families with the outdoors. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 18, 2010 
Mr. KIND introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out pro-
grams and activities for connecting children and families 
with the outdoors. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Moving Outdoors in Nature Act of 2010’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
Sec. 3. Grants for development or implementation of Moving Outdoors in Na-
ture State Strategies. 
Sec. 4. National strategy for connecting children, youth, and families with the 
outdoors. 
Sec. 5. National evaluation of health impacts. 
Sec. 6. Technical assistance and best practices. 
Sec. 7. Definitions. 
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Children today are spending less time out-
doors than any generation in human history, as evi-
denced by studies that show children enjoy half as 
much time outdoors today as they did just 20 years 
ago and children spend more than 71⁄2 hours every 
day in front of electronic media. 
(2) Experiencing our Nation’s natural splendor 
contributes to healthier lives for all Americans and 
a deeper appreciation for the outdoors, and those 
who take advantage of the opportunities afforded 
them in the outdoors generally live longer, healthier, 
fuller lives than those who do not. 
(3) Hunters and anglers play a critical role in 
reconnecting young people with nature, protecting 
our natural resources, and fostering a lifelong un-
derstanding of the value of conserving the natural 
world. As children become more disconnected from 
the natural world, the hunting and angling conserva-
tion legacy of America is at risk. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
(4) Research demonstrates that hunters who 
become engaged in hunting as children are among 
the most active and interested hunters as adults. 
The vast majority of hunters report they were intro-
duced to hunting between the ages of 10 and 12, 
and the overwhelming majority of children are intro-
duced to hunting by an adult. 
(5) The health of our children is at risk as evi-
denced by the growing obesity crisis where, over the 
last 20 years, the childhood obesity rate has more 
than doubled and the adolescent obesity rate has tri-
pled. 
(6) Spending time outdoors in nature is bene-
ficial to our children’s physical and mental health 
and has been proven to decrease symptoms of atten-
tion deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), im-
prove motor skills, result in a better sleep, reduce 
stress, increase creativity, improve mood, and reduce 
children’s risk of developing myopia. 
(7) Kids who play outdoors are generally more 
physically fit than those who spend the majority of 
their time inside, and children who play outside in 
natural areas have a statistically significant improve-
ment in motor fitness with better coordination, bal-
ance, and agility. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
(8) The richness and novelty of being outdoors 
stimulates brain development, and research indicates 
that direct, ongoing experience of nature in relatively 
familiar settings remains a vital source for children’s 
physical, emotional, and intellectual development. 
(9) Research indicates that spending time out-
doors reduces the severity of symptoms of children 
with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and 
even short walks in urban parks increase concentra-
tion and lessen other attention deficit and hyper-
activity disorder-related symptoms. 
(10) Children who spend time playing outside 
are more likely to take risks, seek out adventure, de-
velop self-confidence, and respect the value of na-
ture, and green spaces outside the home can in-
crease concentration, inhibition of initial impulses, 
and self-discipline. 
(11) Time spent in green spaces, including 
parks, play areas, and gardens, has been shown to 
reduce stress and mental fatigue, and in one study 
children who were exposed to greener environments 
in a public housing area demonstrated less aggres-
sion and violence and less mental stress. 
(12) Simply viewing nature reduces physio-
logical stress response, increases levels of interest 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
and attention, and decreases feelings of fear, anger, 
and aggression. 
(13) A direct childhood experience with nature 
before the age of 11 promotes a long-term connec-
tion to nature, a connection that is currently dwin-
dling as children spend half as much time outside as 
they did 20 years ago. 
(14) Resource stewardship is more challenging 
without a strong sense of connection to the natural 
world, and as visitation to public lands has declined 
or remained flat in recent years and children spend 
less time outdoors on private lands as well, that con-
nection is being lost. 
(15) It takes many dedicated men and women 
to work to preserve, protect, enhance, and restore 
America’s natural resources, and with an aging 
workforce in the natural resource professions, it is 
critical for the next generation to have an apprecia-
tion for nature and be ready to take over these re-
sponsibilities. 
(16) Over the past several years, urbanization, 
changing land use patterns, increasing road traffic, 
and inadequate solutions to addressing these chal-
lenges in the built environment have combined to 
make it more difficult for many Americans to walk 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
or bike to schools, parks, and play areas or experi-
ence the natural environment in general. 
(17) Natural play areas, greenways, accessible 
trails, backyard wildlife habitats, and other green 
features of the built environment provide children 
the opportunity to experience nature in their com-
munities and close to home. 
(18) Conservation education and outdoor recre-
ation experiences like camping, hiking, boating, 
hunting, fishing, archery, recreational shooting, wild-
life watching, and others are critical to engaging 
young people in the outdoors. 
(19) Parks and recreation, youth-serving, con-
servation, health, education, and built-environment 
organizations, facilities, and personnel provide crit-
ical resources and infrastructure for connecting chil-
dren and families with nature. 
(20) Research has shown that military children 
and families are facing increased stress and mental 
strain and challenges due to multiple, extended de-
ployments. Military family service organizations have 
developed programs that connect military children 
and families with positive, meaningful outdoor expe-
riences benefiting mental and physical health, but 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
they lack sufficient resources to meet increasing de-
mand. 
(21) States nationwide and their community- 
based partners have some notable programs that 
connect children and families with nature; however, 
most States lack sufficient resources and a com-
prehensive strategy that effectively engages State 
agencies across multiple fields. 
(22) States need to engage in a cross-sector 
agency and nonprofit approach that involves public 
health and wellness, parks and recreation, transpor-
tation and city planning, and others focused on con-
necting children and families with the outdoors to 
increase coordination and effective implementation 
of the policy tools and programs that a State can 
bring to bear to provide healthy outdoor opportuni-
ties for children and families. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR DEVELOPMENT OR IMPLEMENTATION 
OF MOVING OUTDOORS IN NATURE STATE 
STRATEGIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award com-
petitive grants or cooperative agreements to eligible enti-
ties to develop and implement a 5-year State strategy, to 
be known as a Moving Outdoors in Nature State Strategy, 
for connecting children and families with the outdoors. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
(b) SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL OF STRATEGIES.— 
(1) APPLICATIONS.—An application for a grant 
under subsection (a) shall— 
(A) be submitted not later than 120 days 
after the Secretary publishes guidelines under 
subsection (f)(1); and 
(B) include a Moving Outdoors in Nature 
State Strategy meeting the requirements of 
subsection (c) or a proposal for development 
and submission of such a strategy. 
(2) APPROVAL OF STRATEGY; PEER REVIEW.— 
Not later than 90 days after submission of a Moving 
Outdoors in Nature State Strategy, the Secretary 
shall approve or recommend changes to the strategy. 
The Secretary shall carry out the preceding sentence 
through a peer review process that includes partici-
pation from Federal, State, and local government 
and from nongovernmental entities. 
(3) STRATEGY UPDATE.—An eligible entity re-
ceiving funds under this section shall update its 
Moving Outdoors in Nature State Strategy not less 
than every 5 years to reflect any changes and modi-
fications. 
(c) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY REQUIREMENTS.— 
The Secretary may approve a Moving Outdoors in Nature 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
State Strategy under subsection (b)(2) only if the strategy 
includes the following: 
(1) A description of how the eligible entity will 
connect children, youth, and families to the outdoors 
through State and local— 
(A) public health systems; 
(B) public parks and recreation systems; 
(C) public transportation and city planning 
systems; and 
(D) other public systems that connect chil-
dren, youth, and families to the outdoors. 
(2) A description of how the eligible entity will 
connect existing governmental systems to networks 
of nongovernmental partner organizations serving 
children, youth, and families. 
(3) A description of how State agencies, such as 
State departments of health, natural resources, envi-
ronmental quality, fish and wildlife, national guard, 
and transportation, will collaborate with each other 
and nongovernmental organizations and local agen-
cies to implement the strategy. 
(4) A description of how funding will be spent 
through local planning and implementation grants 
under subsection (d). 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
(5) A description of how the eligible entity will 
evaluate the effectiveness of, and measure the im-
pact of, the strategy. 
(6) A description of how the eligible entity will 
provide opportunities for public involvement in devel-
oping and implementing the strategy through a pub-
lic comment period, public hearings, or other means. 
(d) LOCAL PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A Moving Outdoors in Na-
ture State Strategy shall provide for— 
(A) local planning; and 
(B) subgrants by the grant recipient under 
subsection (a) to local entities to implement the 
strategy through one or more of the activities 
described in paragraph (2). 
(2) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—The activities de-
scribed in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) Outdoor recreation programs and ac-
tivities that engage children, youth, and families 
in healthy, active time outdoors through camp-
ing, hiking, wildlife watching, and other rec-
reational activities that teach skills for lifelong 
participation in outdoor activities. 
(B) Youth mentoring and outdoor recre-
ation programs and activities that engage par-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
23:25 Nov 18, 2010
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6426.IH
H6426
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS