Our Mission
Straub Outdoors teaches school-age children to appreciate and care for Oregon's natural resources through culturally responsive outdoor education.
Straub Outdoors enseña a los niños en edad escolar a apreciar y cuidar los recursos naturales de Oregón a través de una educación al aire libre culturalmente receptiva.
Through diverse, inclusive leadership and partnerships, Straub Outdoors provides equitable educational experiences that increase science literacy, foster environmental awareness, remove barriers to accessing nature, and support academic achievement for students in Oregon.
Our Core Values
Inquiry to Action: We engage students curiosity about biological and social sciences to foster understanding and respect for nature. Student-centered inquiry is at the heart of learning. And learning is the first step toward action and leadership.
Community Service: We work in partnership with local communities throughout Western Oregon to respond to the needs and priorities of community members.
Diversity and Inclusion: By honoring differences, actively including a variety of voices, and joining together in common goals with others, we can support children’s learning more effectively.
Equitable Access: All youth have a right to equitable educational experiences. We seek and embrace learning opportunities that are open and available to all.
Real-world Education: Children learn best when they can explore the world directly with all of their senses. Building upon a sense of nature affinity through hands-on experiences, students embrace citizen science and service learning when they know the impacts of their knowledge and actions
Collaborative Vision: When community members are empowered and participate in collaborations knowing their voices are valued and respected, everyone benefits. The students, parents, and families we serve are our experts. We don’t develop programs for them, we develop programs with them.
Sustainable Practices: We operate in a sustainable manner - environmentally, socially and economically. This means that everything we do reflects this, from the educational materials we purchase to the locations of our programs and who teaches them.
Our History: Governor Bob and Pat Straub
Governor Bob and Pat Straub are the inspiration for Straub Outdoors. The Straubs were renowned for their love of Oregon and their efforts to preserve its natural beauty. Straub Outdoors promotes this spirit by fostering public awareness of the beauty and cultural history of Oregon.
Governor Straub’s contributions to the people of Oregon during his terms as State Treasurer and Governor were considerable. His unyielding efforts to protect the public use and open access to Oregon’s beaches, and his tireless support for Oregon’s statewide land use program, helped place Oregon at the forefront of the environmental movement. He also initiated the Willamette Greenway program, one of the most important conservation and recreation initiatives in Oregon’s history.
Pat Straub helped shape and support the Governor’s environmental views. She served on the Oregon Forestry Council and wrote a book dedicated to organic gardening, a true testament to her devotion to the health of Oregon’s lands. Their homestead featured organic gardens and native woodlands, which is now the site of Straub Middle School, Kalapuya Elementary School, and a woodland park operated by the City of Salem.