The wildlife rangers program targets fifth grade students in southern SAN diego county who have limited access to green spaces within 10 miles of the SAN diego BAY national wildlife refuge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior, awarded a Cooperative Agreement valued at $122,660.30 to the Zoological Society of San Diego, doing business as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), under the National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements program (CFDA 15.654). The award, effective August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, supports the Wildlife Rangers Program, which targets fifth-grade students in southern San Diego County with limited access to green spaces within a 10-mile radius of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

SDZWA will deliver Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classroom programming and immersive field trips to local marsh habitats for eligible schools within ten specified school districts. The program aims to increase student engagement with nature, spark interest in outdoor recreation, and foster conservation stewardship values—addressing a documented 30-year decline in adolescent willingness to engage in conservation behaviors. By providing early exposure to natural environments and wildlife conservation, the initiative supports broader objectives of community strengthening, economic vitality, and encouragement of STEM career pathways among underserved student populations.

The program aims to spark interest in outdoor recreation and increase opportunities for students to engage with nature. Studies show that access to green spaces strengthens communities and supports economic vitality and improves health. Early exposure to nature fosters conservation stewardship values and encourages students to pursue stem careers. Over the past three decades adolescents willingness to engage in conservation behaviors has declined and this program seeks to reverse that trend. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and wildlife service the SAN diego ZOO wildlife alliance will respond to this challenge by offering stem classroom programming and immersive field trips to the local marsh habitat. Schools within a 10 mile radius of the refuge including those in ten specified school districts are eligible to participate.