Nonprofit organization Project GO is powered by University of Minnesota Extension volunteers.
Sara Holger saw organizations in her community doing important work with underserved youth, but many of their activities were held indoors. It looked like a missed opportunity for young people to gain the physical, social and mental benefits of outdoor education.
Holger holds a degree in natural resources and environmental studies from the University of Minnesota. The trained University of Minnesota Extension Master Naturalist instructor also coordinates the Project Get Outdoors (Project GO) program.
“Our work began in 2005 after I read Richard Louv’s book, 'Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder',” says Holger. “It motivated me to find a way to use my training to share nature with children.”
In their first year, she walked with the Plainview Area Migrant Council coordinator, knocking door to door at a mobile home court to invite children to their summer program. They met children there each day, walked to the park and walked them home.
During an overnight camping trip, she overheard one of the kids say, “This is the best day of my life!”
Over Project GO’s 20 years of service, they have partnered with libraries, YMCAs, affordable housing sites and childcare centers, launching a movement to replace kids’ nature deficit with immersion in southeast Minnesota.
Local power
“A major part of this work is finding volunteers with significant outdoor experience,” says Holger. “Nearly every aspect of our organization has been supported by Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers.”
“In Extension, we take a close look at how we can help volunteers find roles that suit their circumstances, skills and goals,” says Amy Rager, Extension educator and Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteer manager. “We developed the Find, Interest, Time and Skills (FITS) analysis tool, which invites volunteers to reflect on what they need and can contribute.”
Minnesota Master Naturalist Becky Bly volunteers with Project GO through the Hiawatha Valley Education District, taking students who have behavioral needs on outings to fish, hike, identify wildflowers and remove invasive weeds.
She is proud of their recent volunteer efforts to rebuild an overgrown trail behind the Rollingstone Community School and to build an outdoor classroom at Goodview Elementary School with high school youth volunteers.
“It doesn’t take a lot of money to do these projects and most are not complicated,” she says.
Pam Miller volunteers with Project GO’s Nature Explorers program for preschool children at Frontenac State Park. She completed the Minnesota Master Naturalist course at Whitewater State Park in 2021, calling it, “wonderful, leading to all kinds of interesting volunteer opportunities and friendships.”
Miller specializes in fungi, leading guided walks. Volunteers like Bly and Miller enhance local programs with their rich knowledge of Minnesota’s forests, rivers and prairies.
“What’s most valuable about working with them is that they volunteer in the communities where they live,” Holger says. “They know the area and their neighbors. They have roots and are invested in these places.”
Why it matters
Holger sees every moment young people spend in nature as inspiring a lifetime of appreciation and a sense of responsibility.
“When I teach Master Naturalist courses to adults, I tell participants that all of the work they do to remove invasive species or restore native plant communities is not enough. If our children do not grow up with an appreciation of nature, the next generation can reverse all of their efforts.”
A lifetime of appreciation can begin in many different ways. Watching a caterpillar crawl inspires curiosity. In an overstimulating world, the quiet brings peace. Climbing to find a hidden waterfall builds pride.
Adults benefit, too
The biggest reward of this work for Holger is sitting around the table with community leaders and local volunteers in different towns and cities, identifying resources and strengths they have.
“We help build community by engaging people together in nature,” she says. “Therapists know that when they take their clients outdoors into nature, magic happens. People let down their walls and connect in powerful ways.”
20 years of environmental stewardship
Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers have contributed nearly 1.2 million hours of their time since the program launched in 2005 with a National Science Foundation grant. These participatory scientists monitor monarch populations, assist with invasive species removal and collect data to shape our understanding of Minnesota’s changing landscapes. Minnesota Master Naturalists inspire moments of wonder through educational workshops and field trips, sharing the knowledge needed to conserve Minnesota’s natural resources. For the next 20 years and beyond, their mission remains vital: environmental service and education.
Read more in Volunteer naturalists create lasting impact across the state.
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