BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – February 20th, 2025 – Thanks to a partnership between the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF), Louisiana schools will soon have the opportunity to offer an outdoor education curriculum called Outdoor Adventures (OA). This comprehensive outdoor education curriculum is usually taught as a PE class.
The Outdoor Adventures K-12 curriculum developed by OTF is currently taught in more than 1,500 public and private schools across all 50 states and Canada. With 40 units to choose from, there is something for everyone, and the curriculum is completely adaptable for all students in any location. The program differs from many outdoor education programs in that it is a comprehensive fully-accredited curriculum that may be offered as a one semester or one academic year class.
“The future of our rich outdoor heritage is in the hands of the next generation, so it is vital that we reach the next generation of hunters, anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, and conservationists where they are at and begin that love for the outdoors at a young age. This program will enable us to do just that, and we could not be more excited to bring it to schools in our community to help show why we are the Sportsman’s Paradise.”
Madison Sheahan
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary
Outdoor Adventures includes wildlife conservation, angling, archery, camping, wilderness survival skills, outdoor cooking, hunter education, first aid, and paddle sports, among many options. These units correlate to many of LDWF’s programs and this partnership will highlight ways teachers may utilize LDWF resources to enhance their Outdoor Adventures classes. This also teaches students about all the wonderful natural resources available to them.
“It is exciting to announce our partnership with the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. Together, we will maximize our abilities to support teachers and to educate our youth about Louisiana’s abundant natural resources and diverse outside recreational opportunities,” said LDWF Non-Consumptive Program Manager Chuck Jones. “OTF’s accredited curriculum will allow educators the ability to teach topics; such as birding, Dutch-oven cooking, survival skills, paddle sports, camping, fishing, hunting safety, wildlife conservation, and other outdoor topics in the classroom. Through this partnership, we can establish another avenue to reach and teach the importance of our hunting and fishing heritage to the next generation.”
If educators cannot find a way to fit the Outdoors Adventures program into their school’s schedule, the LDWF has many other resources available to help them deliver the conservation and outdoor education message.
About Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation
The Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) based in Dallas, Texas. OTF’s Outdoor Adventures K-12 curriculum may be taught in any public or private school and is most often taught as a PE course. More than 27 million classroom hours of outdoor education have been taught since the program started, reaching 160,000+ students annually. The OTF in-school outdoor education curriculum is now in 1,500+ schools in all 50 states and Canada. Want to help support the schools in your community? We are asking conservation-minded donors to consider supporting this important endeavor by helping to fund the purchase of OTF’s curriculum for local schools. Interested donors should contact LeAnn Schmitt, OTF Director of Partnership Development – [email protected] or (817) 970-6917.
About Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary
To manage, conserve, and promote wise utilization of Louisiana’s renewable fish and wildlife resources and their supporting habitats through replenishment, protection, enhancement, research, development, and education for the social and economic benefit of current and future generations; to provide opportunities for knowledge of and use and enjoyment of these resources; and to promote a safe and healthy environment for the users of the resources.
Visit https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/for-teachers or call (225) 765-2800 for more information.
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