Groton looks to expand access to nature for kids

Groton ― Ben Moon, director of STEM and Magnet Programs K-5 for Groton Public Schools, has seen the benefits that nature can bring children, including improved academic outcomes, attention, health and wellness.Moon said the town has amazing outdoor resources such as beaches along the shoreline, Bluff Point and Haley Farm state parks and the Thames and Mystic rivers.But some children face barriers to experiencing nature, from their proximity to open space to transportation issues. "We want every kid in Groton to access the amazing resources we have," Moon said.Groton recently joined a national initiative to help ensure all children have equitable access to nature.Groton was among 19 communities across the country chosen as a "Nature Everywhere Community," and will be part of the first "Nature Everywhere Communities" network created by three organizations: the Children & Nature Network, the National League of Cities and KABOOM!, according to an announcement.Moon said Groton applied to be part of the program after the school district, Groton Open Space Association and town had been looking at ways to get more kids outside.As a "Nature Everywhere Community," Groton will receive grant and technical assistance over the next two years to identify potential projects and also will have access to a network of experts, municipalities and groups across the country working to improve access to nature, said Jon Reiner, the town's director of planning and development services.A group of representatives from the school system, Groton Open Space Association, and the town's Planning and Development Services and Parks and Recreation Departments is leading Groton's planning efforts.Megan Granato, the town's sustainability and resilience manager, said the team will reach out to groups and residents, including youths, to understand the barriers to accessing nature and solutions to reduce those barriers. The team also will review if there are ways the town could reduce barriers through regulations and ordinances. The team will look to prioritize projects, which could be, for example, building nature-based play spaces.Once the planning is in place, Groton can apply for more competitive grants through the program to implement projects. Granato said Groton is fortunate to have a lot of open space, but most is concentrated in the eastern part of town. As part of the planning, she said the team will look at aspects, including how accessible open space is to people who don't have a car, how to make people feel more comfortable outside, which schools have accessibility to trails, where to prioritize acquisition of open space and trail networks, how to raise awareness about opportunities to access nature, and how to potentially use social networks to encourage people to experience nature.Groton Open Space Association President Dan O'Connell said part of the association's mission is to give people, especially children, an appreciation of nature. About a year ago, the association formed an alliance with the school district and so far has reached about 1,000 people by hosting classroom field trips on GOSA's properties.The alliance is not only a way to help children experience the benefits of nature, but also, in the face of challenging environmental issues, to reach the next generation and also work with their teachers and parents, O'Connell said.Laura Mylan of the Children & Nature Network, said its goal is to have 100 Nature Everywhere Communities by 2025.Mylan said the initiative expands upon another program, focused on efforts by municipal governments, called Cities Connecting Children to Nature, that Children & Nature Network has been leading with the National League of Cities for the past nine years. That program has a network of more than 50 cities.Mylan said nature is essential for children's healthy development, but children can face barriers to access for reasons from geography to a longstanding system of racism.Mylan said nature supports youths' academic success, physical success, social and emotional learning, and mental health, which is particularly important as children are experiencing a mental health crisis coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and with a lot going on in the world."Children need nature now more than ever," she said.k.drelich@theday.com