Summer 2026 Newsletter

August 26, 2026

Dear Nature and Health Community –
While campus is quieter in summer, our team has been busy behind the scenes. We’ve been advancing novel research (including the healthcare cost savings of time spent in nature), planning community events (our 10th symposium is shaping up to be something special), and mentoring some wonderful summer interns. 

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? 

Seattle is full of ‘blue spaces’ — here’s the science behind it

Nicole Pasia · Seattle Times · August 20, 2026
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Center co-director

Earth is nicknamed the blue planet for good reason. Nearly three-quarters of the planet’s surface is covered in water, the very stuff our bodies need to survive. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.