.jpg "Los Angeles Wildfires Devastate Schools and Outdoor Education Sanctuaries")
Los Angeles, CA - As wildfires continue to burn their way through Southern California, the damage isn't only tallied up in homes and infrastructure, but it is also in some irretrievable outdoor educations for families throughout Los Angeles. Natural sanctuaries that used to provide relief both for children and their parents became some of the victims of this generally happening already ecological catastrophe.
For Irina Contreras, a program manager at Los Angeles County's Department of Arts and Culture, outdoor education provided a much-needed respite during the pandemic. Her daughter, 7-year-old Ceiba, was able to experience nature through programs such as the Hawks adventure group and Matilija, a bilingual forest school offering hands-on learning in the great outdoors. As part of its investigations, they collectively visited sites like Eaton Canyon Nature Area-a 190-acre preserve in Altadena that is now reduced to ashes from the flames.
"I am devastated about the loss of places where Ceiba could learn and grow in nature. She and her friends spent countless days hiking, climbing, and swimming while learning to respect and understand the natural world. It was not just education but a sanctuary for her and for our community."
Wildfires Destroy Schools, Camps and Educational Resources
The wildfires have seared their presence into the educational landscape of Los Angeles. Besides schools like Odyssey Charter School in Altadena that suffered fire damage, scores of other nature-based preschools, homeschooling groups, summer camps, and public schools have seen their outdoor learning areas reduced to ashes.
It's tearing our community apart," said Miguel Ordeñana, a senior manager of community science at the Natural History Museum. His kids all attend Odyssey Charter School. He said it has been tough to describe how traumatizing it is for his kids, most of who have lost homes and now a feeling of safety.
Although there are still places, like Griffith Park, which have not been directly touched by the fires, smoke and air quality have made those places off-limits to outdoor programs. "It's a waiting game now," Ordeñana added. "We don't know when it will be safe to resume outdoor education activities, but the impact on local families and schools is already significant."
Rebuilding and Moving Forward
The loss of these natural learning spaces is especially painful given their importance in the post-pandemic world. As more and more families seek out ways for children to learn and connect with nature, the devastation wrought by the wildfires represents a blow to a growing trend in outdoor education.
Rebuilding is now well underway, but many are finding the emotional and logistical paths forward particularly daunting. For now, the Contreras and Ordeñana families have been spending a lot of time together, keeping indoors.
"We have been able to come together with other families for support," said Ordeñana. "It is not the same as the outdoor education experiences we once had, but it reminds us we will rebuild and we will find new ways of creating meaningful educational spaces for our children."
How Wildfires Are Impacting Outdoor Education
The destruction of sanctuaries in outdoor education has shown how vulnerable natural spaces in California have become. As climate change brings more frequent and more intense wildfires, educators, parents, and environmentalists are calling for better protections of the essential resources. It is very important to invest in wildfire prevention, as well as ensuring such learning spaces are resilient, for the future of outdoor education in California.
For details on how to donate to the support of wildfire relief efforts and rebuild outdoor education sanctuaries, head over to the California Wildfire Relief Fund.
Key Takeaways
- Los Angeles Wildfires destroyed educational spaces such as schools, nature preserves, and outdoor learning areas.
With each of these losses, families and communities suffer through the emotional and physical trauma, children lost essential programs in nature-based education serving them during the pandemic. It's to be hoped that as air quality improves and fire conditions ease, there may be a way outdoor education can resume, but right now damage to schools and communities is immense. - Outdoor education continues to be important to children in their relationship with nature and in learning those lessons that are impossible to learn inside four walls.