NATURE TRACK FOUNDATION INC

Field Trips - The past year has been a remarkable period of growth for NatureTrack, reinforcing the demand for our programs and the impact they have on students, wheelchair users, and seniors alike.When reservations for our K-12 outdoor field trips opened on September 1, 2023, theresponse was overwhelming, with the first reservation arriving at 12:01 a.m. Within 72 hours, more than 100 field trip requests were received from teachers to secure outdoor learning experiences for more than 5,000 students. Despite occasional cancellations due to weather and transportation challenges, we successfully conducted 80 trips, providing nearly 4,000 students, including students with disabilities who use wheelchairs, with access to nature-based education. Unfortunately, demand exceeded our capacity, and we were unable to accommodate a growing waitlist.Our Freedom Trax program for wheelchair users also flourished, providing hundredsof individuals with mobility challenges the opportunity to explore beaches and trails from Ventura to San Luis Obispo County, with most outings taking place in Santa Barbara County. We also traveled to San Francisco, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz to support spinal cord injury (SCI) support group events, ensuring that participants could fully engage in these meaningful gatherings.Additionally, we expanded our reach to seniorsintroducing Assisted LivingFacility beach trips in Santa Barbara County, which quickly became popular andhighly requested among several facilities. The enthusiasm from residents, caregivers, and families has reinforced the importance of offering accessible outdoor experiences to this underserved community.NatureTracks commitment to inclusion extends beyond our own programs. This pastyear, we lent Freedom Trax devices to the Wilderness Youth Project, enabling ALLabilities to participate in their outdoor programming. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience nature.With more than 80 volunteers, two of which are wheelchair users, we continue to beable to maintain our 5:1 student-to-volunteer-docent for K-12 field trips and 2:1wheelchair users-to-volunteer-docent ratios.NatureTrack continues to break barriers to access, ensuring that students, wheelchair users, and seniors can connect with nature in a meaningful and transformative way.