Community Dinner with Amy Wagenfeld and Daniel Winterbottom

Want to spend an evening in community with an interdisciplinary group of students, professionals, and retirees who are passionate about advancing health equity and access to nature? 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? 

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Preliminary Healthcare Cost Savings Results

In spring 2025, the Center received a McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research award to begin assessing the cost savings of spending time in nature in Washington state. We’re excited to share our preliminary findings with the nature and health community. 

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Nature Buoy

ASHLEY ABRAMSON · Windsor News · July 29, 2026
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Center co-director

Spend­ing time in or near nature has many poten­tial bene­fits. A 2021 review found that being in nature (espe­cially while enga­ging in phys­ical activ­ity) is linked to improved car­di­ovas­cu­lar health, lower blood pres­sure and reduced risk factors for chronic dis­eases like Type 2 diabetes. 

Continue Reading at Widsor Star

Summer Outdoor Play Helps Build Kids’ Brains

Heather Cooper · Healthy Tides · July 27, 2026
Featuring Dr. Pooja Tandon, Center researcher and advisor

Many adults have fond memories of summer days and evenings spent outside, playing games in their neighborhood and having adventures. 

Continue Reading at Seattle Children's

The Government Canceled This Nature Study. Scientists Kept Going Anyway.

Neha Pathak · Yale Climate Connections · July 24, 2026
Featuring Dr. Howard Frumkin, Center researcher

Most of us sense it without being told why: A walk in the woods or an hour in the park leaves us calmer, clearer, and restored. 

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Federal Agencies Study New Methods for Monitoring Recreation on Public Lands

Rachel Cohen · KUNC · July 8, 2026
Featuring Spencer Wood, Center researcher

Last year, Congress passed the EXPLORE Act, a package of measures to boost outdoor recreation access as record numbers participate in outdoor activities. 

Continue reading at KUNC

Why Kids Should ‘Take Your Brain Out’ This Summer

Colorado Parent · June 24, 2026
Featuring Dr. Pooja Tandon, Center advisor and researcher

Generation Wild, a movement from Great Outdoors Colorado that works to connect kids with the outdoors, today launched ‘Take Your Brain Out,’ an initiative aimed at offsetting the effects caused by screens on kids’ brains. 

Read more at Colorado Parent

Generation Wild Encourages Northern Colorado Families to Get Kids Outdoors This Summer

North Forty News · June 9, 2026
Featuring Dr. Pooja Tandon, Center advisor and researcher

“Time spent in nature is restorative for the brain, helps with emotional regulation, improves mental and physical health, reduces symptoms of ADHD, and can have benefits for sleep and memory,” said Dr. 

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The Surprising Science-Backed Reason Being in Nature Makes You Feel Good

Ashley Abramson · June 5, 2026
Featuring Gregory Bratman, PhD, the Center’s co-director

Spending time in or near nature has many potential benefits. A 2021 review found that being in nature (especially while engaging in physical activity) is linked to improved cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and reduced risk factors for chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes. 

Read more at The Washington Post

Community Dinner Featuring Dr. Sabine Thomas

Our June 2, 2026 Community Dinner featured 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. 

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