Spring 2026 Newsletter

COMMUNITY DINNER | JUNE 2

Want to enjoy a shared meal while learning about novel programs, policies, and research designed to get people outdoors and fully realizing the benefits of what nature has to offer? Then join us for a Nature and Health Community Dinner. Our June 2 dinner will feature a speed talk from Dr. Sabine Thomas. Sabine is co-owner of JSOL STUDIOS LLC, a family-wellness centered and nature-embodied organization dedicated to nurturing thriving ecosystems within families and organizations. Sabine partners with King County Child Care Health Consultation Strategy to lead Anchoring Our ROOTS, a county-wide program rooted in restorative and nature-embodied practices, designed to support the health and wellness BIPOC childcare providers.

Register by May 27

Our community gatherings are supported by the REI Cooperative Action Fund. We are continually grateful to the Fund’s commitment to making the outdoors more accessible and inclusive for all.

OMENN LECTURE IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH | MAY 26

The 2026 Omenn Lecture features Dr. Howard Frumkin, former dean of the UW School of Public Health, DEOHS professor emeritus, and member of the Center’s Steering Committee and Research Collaborative. His talk, “The Nature of Environmental Health,” will focus on how contact with nature can help improve our health. The lecture will be online and in person at UW Hans Rosling Center at 4 pm on May 26. Advanced registration is required.

Our Research Collaborative aims to push boundaries and spark new conversations in the field of nature and health. This transdisciplinary team has co-authored 12 novel papers in 2026, covering diverse topics such as nasal microbiome, reciprocity, and climate change.

Below are a few of the Collaborative’s latest papers:

1. Associations of Forest vs. Urban Environmental Exposure With Well-Being and Nasal Microbiome Composition: An Exploratory Pilot Study
   This study explored how spending time in nature might affect the bacteria in our noses and our well-being. The results showed that the students who spent time in the forest had a bigger improvement in mood, with more positive feelings and less stress compared to those who stayed in the city.
2. Cultivating Reciprocity—The Nature and Health Challenge
   Spending time in nature has long been thought to be good for people, and scientists are now studying these benefits in more careful and detailed ways. Researchers from many fields are measuring not just how nature helps reduce negative feelings like stress or anxiety, but also how it can boost positive emotions such as calmness and happiness
3. Parks and Recreation in Cancer Prevention: Bringing Cancer Center Outreach and Engagement Initiatives to Public Spaces Through Partnership With Local Governments
   Parks can help prevent cancer and support people who are living with or recovering from cancer. This paper describes a structured approach for building and maintaining partnerships to support cancer prevention in parks. It explains how one cancer center worked with park departments in three Texas communities, how the partnership was put into practice, and what lessons were learned. These lessons may help guide other partnerships between health care organizations and community groups working to improve public health.
4. Relative Vulnerability of US National Parks to Cumulative and Transformational Climate Impacts
   National Parks across the country are facing growing risks from climate change. Rising temperatures, stronger storms, drought, wildfires, sea-level rise, and outbreaks of insects and diseases are already changing many of these protected places. In this study, researchers looked at many different types of climate risks at the same time to see which parks are most in danger. They found that about two-thirds of all National Parks are highly exposed to at least one serious climate threat that could permanently change their landscapes.

View all 2026 Papers

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY | JUNE 6

National Trails Day is a day of public events on the first Saturday in June aimed at advocacy and trail service. Tens of thousands of hikers, bikers, paddlers, horseback riders, trail clubs, federal and local agencies, land trusts, and businesses come together in partnership to advocate for, maintain, and clean up public lands and trails.

Find a Volunteer Opportunity

Free National and State Park Days
From lush temperate rainforests and rugged coastlines to alpine meadows and glacier-capped peaks, the Pacific Northwest is home to an abundance of diverse state and national parks. During select holidays throughout the year, entrance to some parks are free. These fee-free days provide a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite.

Self-Guided Forest Bathing
How do you relax and recharge? You are invited to learn and practice forest bathing, a nature immersion activity that has been shown to increase health and well-being. To get started, check out the handout or follow along with the audio guide, courtesy of UW Botanic Gardens.

UW Campus Nature
There are many different ways people interact with nature, and it can happen on various scales. UW Sustainability has put together some resources to help the UW community connect with nature, whether that means taking a quick break on campus or getting away from the urban environment for a hike or other activity.

We invite you to join our different channels to learn more about the Nature and Health movement and to connect with others in the field.

• Opt into our newsletter
• Sign up for our listserv
• Join us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Interested in collaborating with us? Let us know at natureandhealth@uw.edu!

Our cross-cutting research and policy engagement improves the lives of our communities. With your support, we can better understand how nature affects human health, how to best leverage these benefits, and how to implement policies that make nature more accessible to all communities.

Contributions of any size will help sustain our cutting-edge research, our community-building efforts, recognize equitable leaders in the field of nature and health, and support the next generation of researchers. Thank you.

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