Speakers urge Seattle to restore environmental education program; estimate is about $2 per homeowner

Three residents urged officials at a public meeting in Seattle to restore the city's environmental education program, saying the program provides hands-on nature experiences for children and estimating the median homeowner cost at about $2 a year.

Commenter 1, a resident, said, "Fully restoring the environmental education program would cost the median homeowner about $2 a year. In exchange, we can guarantee our city's kids and families continue to receive the nature education and outdoor experiences that make our city such a great place to live. Building strong connections between our kids and their natural environment is priceless."

Commenter 2, a resident, said the program supports youth development: "Our work inspires children, sparks joy and wonder, supports budding scientists, teaches empathy and care for our green world and for one another."

Commenter 3, a resident, described the program's activities: "We go down on the beach, get our feet and hands wet, look around, and so these kids are having a full body, hands on nature immersion experience. It's so exciting for them."

Commenter 1 returned to warn that reopening closed programs can be costlier, saying, "As we all know, watching the federal government, when programs are closed down, they are more costly to reopen. So it's important that we're able to keep this institution of educating youth through using volunteers established in our city."

The remarks were made during the meeting's public comment period. The transcript and meeting record provided no motion, vote, or formal direction to staff; no decision or funding commitment was recorded during the session.