BLM, Sacramento State Host Fourth Annual Youth Summit
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Sacramento State joined hundreds of high school students, partner agencies and organizations for the fourth annual Youth Summit – Lead the Way Outdoors.
"The energy and enthusiasm at this year's youth summit is incredible," said BLM California State Director Jerry Perez. "I am honored to be here to share this experience with the future caretakers of our nation's public lands."
"We are excited to partner once again with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on this wonderful event," said Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen. "It's important to encourage our youth to develop a greater appreciation for the outdoors, and I can't think of a better place to do that than at California’s beautiful capital university."
The summit is designed to connect youth to the outdoors, foster an appreciation and knowledge about the importance of natural resources and expose young people to higher education and career opportunities.
"The opportunity and potential of these youth is shaping the conservation movement," said Jose Gonzalez, Founder of Latino Outdoors and this year’s keynote speaker. "They are the leaders that will continue to make this work more engaging and relevant to diverse communities."
The summit featured a variety of workshops focused around leadership, education and career opportunities in natural resources such as climate change, geology, law enforcement, wildland firefighting and recreation management, to name a few.
The expo also featured more than 20 state and federal agencies, organizations and businesses promoting natural resources and outdoor activities, opportunities and careers including Sacramento State, BLM, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Peace Corps, California State Parks, Latino Outdoors, California Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Student Conservation Association, Sierra Club and Bass Pro Shop.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.