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Committee hears $1 million appropriation request for Outdoor Education and Recreation grants; program reports statewide reach
Summary
Supporters told the committee AB 108 would appropriate $1 million to the Nevada Outdoor Education and Recreation Grant Program, which has reported expanded statewide participation after prior funding; advocates said funds foster student mental health and STEM engagement.
Assemblymembers Sandra Howdighi and Steve Yeager presented Assembly Bill 108, which would appropriate $1 million to the Nevada Outdoor Education and Recreation (NOER) Grant Program. The bill’s sponsors and conservation and education advocates said prior funding has allowed the program to expand across Nevada and that additional funding would increase the number of students reached.
Majority Leader Howdighi said the program, first established in statute in 2019, received an appropriation in the 2023 session and that the division’s 2024 impact report shows results beyond initial expectations. Christy Cabrera-Georgeson of the Nevada Conservation League told the committee that NOER’s prior funding reached nearly 11,000 students and logged about 26,600 hours outdoors in 2024 and funded 44 projects statewide over the biennium.
Speakers and grantees described program types and county reach: Nevada Outdoor School, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, River Wranglers, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, Sierra Nevada Journeys and others provided outdoor education, including Girls in STEM camps, field trips to Red Rock Canyon and equine therapy for children in foster care. Sean Hill of Sierra Nevada Journeys described pre/post survey results showing gains in students’ confidence and interest in STEM after outdoor programs.
Testimony emphasized mental-health and academic benefits and the program’s reach in rural counties. Proponents said the division’s prior allocation — $500,000 over the last biennium — had been leveraged through partnerships and that the proposed $1 million appropriation would meet high demand from applicants: the division previously reported $1.4 million in requests in a single grant round.
No opposition testimony was presented at the hearing. Support came from the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition, Nevada Association of School Superintendents, Nevada State Education Association, Western Resource Advocates, Walker Basin Conservancy, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and others. Committee members asked about use of funds for outreach and administrative costs; witnesses said most funds support grantees while the division retains limited administrative capacity.
The committee closed the hearing after testimony and questions; no vote was recorded at the hearing.
