California State University Chico receives funding for Forest Therapy for Community Recovery Project

28 October 2019

Published by https://www.actionnewsnow.com/

USA – CHICO, Calif. -CSU, Chico’s Ecological Reserves have received funding for a unique pilot project to help Camp Fire Survivors.

It’s called the “Forest Therapy for Community Recover” project and it will use immersion in nature to help people recover from trauma and restore health and wellness. 15 local mental health providers, outdoor educators and other health and wellness workers will be trained to become Forest Therapy Guides.

Forest therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku.  Much of the therapy will occur within the 39 hundred acres of the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, less than 10 miles from Chico.

It’s owned and operated by the University Research Foundation.

The grant from the North Valley Community Foundation and Butte Strong Fund totals nearly $50 thousand dollars and is expected to serve more than 450 Camp Fire survivors to start.

Eli Goodsell, Director of the Ecological Reserves, said, ” Our Community experienced an unprecedented traumatic event on November 8, 2018.  Individuals deal with degrees of trauma in different ways, but we know all populations are affected – from schoolchildren to retirees- and our community members need support. ” This forest therapy will help those directly impacted by the Camp Fire and ultimately has the potential to impact tens of thousands of Butte County residents as our Forest Therapy Guides implement these nature-based practices throughout the rest of their careers.”