Protecting our natural resources protects our health. Studies have shown a connection between clean air, water and land to our physical and mental well-being. Nature can also be healing.
“When veterans come back from war, they face a challenging road,” shared Chesapeake Bay Trust Program Officer Marylin Veiman-Echeverría. “However, studies do show that being out in nature is healing. Through the veterans grants, we want to promote that space for organizations to apply, to get funding, and to take veterans and their families out to healing spaces.”
Nature Worx, a small nonprofit in Harford County, has received multiple grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trust since 2021 through the Community Engagement and Restoration Mini Grant Program and the Veterans Engagement Grant Program.
“One of the grants we get with the Chesapeake Bay Trust supports our work with veterans,” shared Nature Worx Founder, Phil Hosmer. “The veterans come out on 90-minute nature immersion programs with us, so they can deepen their relationship with nature to support their mental, physical and emotional health.”
Through this program, Nature Worx supports veterans who are enrolled at the in-patient mental health unit at the Veteran Affairs (VA) Perry Point Medical Center. These veterans spend the vast majority of their time indoors, disconnected from the natural world.
“I’m a veteran and I do find that it helps calm me down and bring me back into focus,” shared Nature Worx Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, Sage Raindancer. “It’s a way for me to detach from whatever issues I may have.”
To offer the opportunity to get outdoors, each session is held at a different local park to build a range of experiences and connections to nature.
“As a veteran myself, I do understand some of the problems that most of the veterans have, so I can relate to them in a way that is firsthand experience,” shared Frank Marsden, Lead Interpretive Guide with Nature Worx. “I understand what nature did for me and what it can also do for them.”
At the end of each session, veterans are asked to complete a short survey to assess the effectiveness of the experience.
“I remember one of the most impactful things for me was seeing in their final report the surveys they applied,” explained Marylin. “Veterans reported their anxiety levels before and after being outdoors. Before they were reporting anxiety levels of five and after the activity the levels were down to one.”
“The veterans enjoy participating in the Nature Worx program and having the opportunity to learn how nature can impact our overall health in a positive way,” added Marian Jones with Veteran Affairs. “Veterans enjoy participating in the mindfulness exercises as led by the Nature Worx guides; veterans express learning new coping techniques in dealing with daily stressors.”
The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Veterans Engagement Grant Program provides opportunities for nature to actually serve those who have served our country. Grantees like Nature Worx are not only helping veterans on their journey after their service, but they are also building lifelong stewards who care about the environment in return.
As Phil describes, “we want to build relationships with nature, so people care about nature, so they want to come outside and conserve it and protect it and be good stewards.”
