Wounded Marine Vet Helps Other Vets Through Equine Therapy

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Wounded Marine Vet Helps Other Vets Through Equine Therapy | 

Study of Veterans Finds Links Between Outdoor Activities, Improved Mental Health

Veterans participating in extended outdoor group recreation show signs of improved mental health, suggesting a link between the activities and long-term psychological well-being, according to results of a new University of Michigan study.

See a summary of the study here.

Project Healing Waters Redding, CA Program Initiates Net Building

Twelve members of the Redding PHWFF Program completed crafting and  personalizing fish landing nets as part of Redding’s PHWFF  fall activities.  In conjunction with Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers (STFF) and with the tutoring of STFF club member, Tom Taylor, and several volunteers, participants bent wood frames, cut out handles, then glued, routed, sanded, finished and sewed on their net bags over the course of 4-6 days to complete their nets.

Redding, CA Program Initiates Net Building - Stay up to date!

The Green Road

With funding from the National Open Spaces Sacred Places Awards Initiative, the Institute for Integrative Health, is developing The Green Road Project at Naval Support Activity Bethesda, home of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Built on a woodland section of the campus, it will surround ‘Wounded Warriors’ and their families with the healing powers of nature in an oasis of respite—and combine a healing, patient-centered approach with rigorous data on what works to improve the health of veterans.

The Green Road - Nature Sacred

Team River Runner white water paddling recreation for wounded warriors

NOAA is training returning military veterans to monitor and restore habitat crucial for rebuilding threatened fish populations in Northern California

Check out the NOAA Veterans Corps' video!

The GORUCK Challenge

Here is an example of extreme recreation that is being utilized by returning warriors - the standard GORUCK Challenge is often in cities, but then those who have completed a challenge can participate in a capstone event, often in an outdoor environment such as mountains, deserts, and beaches.


 

Combat wounded veterans replant coral fragments

It was a FIRST for five wounded Army Special Forces soldiers as they helped MOTE Marine Laboratory break a single-day record for replanting Staghorn coral fragments.During their SCUBA event with the Special Forces Underwater Operations School at Trumbo Point, Key West, the veterans tested new prosthetic devices that allow amputees to better use fins and to better accommodate swimming and diving.More on this challenge can be located at the following link : Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge - Key West Citizen

Veterans turn to climbing to heal

Invisible Wounds: Veterans turn to climbing to heal | Climbing

“Being outside, whether climbing, mountaineering, or just hiking, gets you out of your head,” says Bare, a former captain in the Army. “For me, this was a way to ease my frustration and boredom with civilian society. The way the war has impacted me is constantly evolving. I’m not cured and might never be. But the wilderness showed me where I was broken and slowly started stitching my body and mind back together. Most guys and gals need this, whether they admit it or not.”

Patriot Game: Groups Promote Hunting as Therapy for Veterans | TIME.com

Balanced reporting from Time magaizine about outdoor recreation and returning veterans --

Patriot Game: Groups Promote Hunting as Therapy for Veterans | TIME.com

Outdoor Recreation, Restoration and Healing for Returning Combatants

Here is a recent piece from the Nature of Cities blog --

Outdoor Recreation, Restoration and Healing for Returning Combatants

Casting a Lifeline to Disabled Veterans - NY Times article

Here is a great piece on the important work of Project Healing Waters
  Casting a Lifeline to Disabled Veterans - NYTimes.com