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Patrick Fitzgerald is the Director of Education Advocacy at the National Wildlife Federation, working with partners to advocate for new policies in Congress, the Administration and State Houses that get children, youth and families active in the outdoors and connecting with nature at school, at home and in their communities.
Green Education Funding Remains in Limbo after White House Summit on Environmental Education
Today I attended the first ever White House Summit on environmental education. There were speakers ranging from Richard Louv to NASCAR. The Presidential Environmental Youth Awardees were inspiring. And it was wonderful to hear Education Secretary Arne Duncan express… Read more >
Secretaries Duncan and Salazar Team Up for Outdoor STEM Education on Public Lands
Earlier this month I had the honor of participating in the White House Conference on Conservation, where leaders from all 50 states convened for an update on and discussion about the Obama Administration’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) initiative. AGO is an… Read more >
NWF’s Own Na’Taki Osborne Jelks Appointed to “21CSC” Federal Advisory Committee to Get Youth Outdoors
Recently Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) Advisory Committee. The 21CSC is an entity called for in President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Report. This was big news in its… Read more >
Smokey Bear Lives On, But Budget Cuts in Congress Loom Large
Great news for Smokey Bear! An American icon has been spared from the axe (for now). Thanks are due to wildlife advocates nationwide, who spoke out in the past week via Facebook posts, Tweets and other efforts and served notice that… Read more >
Youth Led Movement for the Outdoors Plans Nationwide Agenda
The National Wildlife Federation is a proud partner of Outdoor Nation , a youth-led movement of young “Outsiders” excited about getting outdoors! This summer, Outdoor Nation hosted five amazing regional summits in New York City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Denver and San… Read more >
Code Orange: Sensitive Groups Should Stay Indoors!
In December, I became a father of a beautiful, now 8-month old boy named August. We call him “Gus.” As someone whose full-time job at the National Wildlife Federation is to reconnect children with nature, I often joked that I… Read more >
Is There a Concerted Effort in Congress to Wipe Out Environmental Education Funding?
At first glance it seemed to me that environmental education spending cuts in Congress must be symptomatic of the broader trend to reduce federal spending in light of our nation’s deficit. But looking at the bigger picture over the last… Read more >
How Did You Celebrate Great Outdoors Month?
June is a special time to celebrate and enjoy the Great Outdoors, as proclaimed by President Obama and nearly all U.S. Governors. This year, Great Outdoors month was full of all sorts of amazing events and activities around the… Read more >
Outdoor Fun Under the Sun at the White House
I just got back from an amazing event on the South Lawn of the White House. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and 50 youth from the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School had the opportunity to celebrate Great Outdoors… Read more >
