NatureTrack is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides cost-free outdoor field trips for K-12 students, teachers, and others (including wheelchair users) in Santa Barbara County. Our mission is to encourage students to embrace the natural world with respect and wonder, inspiring them to be thoughtful stewards of our natural resources. I founded NatureTrack in 2011 for the sole purpose of getting kids out into nature during the school day, providing hands-on learning, and supporting teachers. NatureTrack has provided more than 25,000 outdoor experiences on local trails and beaches during the past ten years.
This year NatureTrack is expanding our "Fostering a Lifelong Fascination with Nature" outdoor field trip program to include "NewTracks." Using Freedom Trax devices which quickly transform manual wheelchairs into battery-powered, all-terrain vehicles, "NewTracks" will enable wheelchair users and others who are mobility impaired (all ages) to participate in NatureTrack field trips. This will include disabled veterans, senior adults, and anyone else who is unable to safely navigate beach sand or a rocky trail due to mobility challenges.