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Nature Everywhere Kingston asks committee to back a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights
Summary
Presenters from Nature Everywhere Kingston asked the Public Safety & General Government Committee to consider a memorializing resolution adopting a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, emphasizing equitable access to parks and the Hudson River and offering examples from other cities; committee members asked for concrete implementation steps before voting.
Jenny Swans of Nature Everywhere Kingston, Mara Estes of Atlanta Learning and Esperanza Gonzalez of Wild Earth presented a proposed Kingston Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights and asked the committee to consider a memorializing resolution. "We have a piece of policy that we would love you all to consider today," Gonzalez told the committee, outlining a coalition of city, district and nonprofit partners and saying the group surveyed more than 300 students to help craft the statement.
The presenters read the Kingston-specific rights, which include access to safe and vibrant neighborhoods, schoolyards and parks; opportunities to touch and smell plants and healthy soil; experience growing from seed to harvest; see stars in the night sky; and learn and engage with the Hudson River and the Catskills. Swans said the initiative is intended to bring existing programs together and provide a shared framework for funders and school partners. "On average, that tiny sliver represents less than 10 minutes per day in nature," Gonzalez said, citing research the presenters displayed to emphasize the gap between screen time and outdoor time for many children.
Committee members largely supported the concept but voiced concerns about enforceability and follow-through. One committee member asked whether adoption could create legal grounds for suit; the presenters and staff responded that the document is being proposed as guidance and a policy framework rather than a legally enforceable right. Several members said they fear a memorializing resolution could "sit in a folder" without producing on-the-ground results and asked the presenters for a concrete implementation plan, examples of municipal actions taken in peer cities (Austin, San Francisco, Rochester were cited), and a list of specific grant and partnership opportunities to accompany any resolution.
The committee did not vote on a resolution at the meeting. Members asked staff and the Nature Everywhere group to draft follow-up materials that lay out measurable next steps—program expansion, school-district partnerships, and potential events or pilot projects—and to return with a coordinated proposal for a future meeting.
