Case Studies

Below are a series of case studies about designed projects and programs that connect people with nature. To search design projects, click on case studies called PLACE. For programs, click on case studies called PROGRAMS. We hope you will look at all the incredible case studies that prioritize nature and health.

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Six individuals wear helmets and life vests and hold paddles while riding in an inflatable raft. The raft is in water that is white with churning waves and flows through a rocky landscape.

Program

Beyond Boundaries

Richmond, VA

A group of youth participants diligently march in a line with their backpacking gear along a sunny mountain trail, which is dense with green foliage and speckled with yellow and white wildflowers.Towering deep green pine trees fill the horizon behind the participants.

Program

Big City Mountaineers

Arvada, CO

A group of volunteers hike in a line along a thin trail as they make their way to their work site, where they will be doing trail work for the day. Thin trees cover the trail ahead of them, and in the distance are the silhouettes of vast mountains. The clear blue sky overhead promises a sunny day.

Program

Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation

Hungry Horse, MT

Three BIPOC boys pose together in front of a blue river surrounded by pines.

Program

Braided Seeds

Tukwila, WA

A girl, equipped with climbing gear, glances down and beams with pride as she scales a rocky slope that is completely vertical. Her body, which boasts a straight and confident posture, is supported by a harness that leads to the top of the slope. The sky above is a muted blue color, with wisps of clouds trailing by.

Program

Brown Girls Climb INC

Brooklyn, NY

Six participants in hiking gear pose for the camera while making the numbers and letters C5LA with their hands. The scenery behind them is a desert terrain, filled with greenery despite the heat.

Program

C5LA

Los Angeles, CA

Two women sit across from each other in foldable chairs. With small smiles on their faces, both lean forward as they compare the leaves they hold in their hands. The ground itself is thickly blanketed with red, brown, and yellow leaves—the crisp colors of autumn.

Program

Center for Nature Informed Therapy

Towson, MD

A young boy with blonde hair sits in a small plastic sled in a shallow stream surrounded by lush foliage. Holding a stick and wearing a red shirt and black pants he is enjoying an outdoor adventure.

Program

ConnectByNature Therapy Services

Fenwick, ON

An Adventure Group participant rides a recumbent trike with his service dog on a sunny day. Behind their path are some trees and scrub, separating them from the main road.

Program

Destination Rehab

Bend, OR

A participant is in a sit ski for a picture, with a DREAM volunteer and a seasonal staff employee posing on either side of her. The scenery behind them is an open ski slope covered with snow that shines bright from the sunlight.

Program

DREAM Adaptive Recreation

Whitefish, Montana

An overhead photo of an Elevate Youth member outdoor rock climbing at Hammond Pond looking toward the top of the route and smiling.

Program

Elevate Youth

Boston, MA

Seed Crew students diligently plow a row of soil in preparation for seed planting at Conundrum Farms. Lined up behind them are other already plowed rows. In the background are tall trees and a farm building; the sky above them is cloudy, which offers plenty of shade.

Program

FunkyTown Food Project

Crowley, TX

Six people stand around the vegetable beds in the garden. In the background, there is a low building as well as a large fully leafed out tree overhanging the plants that provides shade.

Program

Guam Green Growth Hagåtña Community Garden

Hagåtña, GU

Outside in the snow, a participant faces the camera and grins as he points to the back of his peer’s jacket, which boasts the Hoods to Woods logo.

Program

Hoods to Woods

Brooklyn, NY

A child in a blue shirt and a child in a red shirt are playing the game Twister outdoors, on a surface of dried grass and leaves.

Program

Integrative OT

Birmingham, AL

A young adult scales a steep rock face. The student is tethered by a rope and smiles at the camera with a sprawling forest below the cliff they are climbing.

Program

Kismet Rock Foundation

North Conway, NH

A group of participants gather closely to pose for a photo. Some people sit on wooden benches while others stand behind them. The scenery around them is full of green, as there are verdant trees behind them and tall wild grass surrounding them. The participants convey their admiration of the land through wide smiles.

Program

Nearby Nature MKE

Milwaukee, WI

A young girl with pink hair rappels down a rock face using rope. The girl is wearing blue jeans and a helmet.

Program

Outdoor Outreach

San Diego, CA

Six POCO members stand along a brick outcrop to take a picture in front of a mountain landscape. The Wallowas stretch far into the horizon behind them, and clouds blanket the blue sky.

Program

People of Color Outdoors

Portland, OR

A large group of participants line up for a photo at the edge of a hill. They are all dressed in biking gear and have their arms thrown up in the air as a sign of triumph; some also have bikes by their sides. The background is a beautiful shot of a vast canyon, with rolling green hills that disappear far into the horizon. The clear sky overhead is lit up by a bright sun.

Program

The Cycle Effect - Building Belonging on Bikes

Eagle, CO

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