From planning and hosting thousands of students each year for field trip visits, derbies and more to organizing town hall forums and other meetings, designed to inform stakeholders on the health benefits of getting kids outdoors, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery is committed to connecting all visitors, especially children, with the natural world around them.  So when the hatchery learned about the We Can!™  Program, it seemed like a truly natural fit to register as a community partner in order to utilize the program and help implement the great information contained therein into the hatchery’s connecting kids with nature programs and activities.  We Can! or "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition" is a national program designed for families and communities to help children maintain a healthy weight.  The program focuses on three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time.  On the national level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a national partner and supporting organization.  Via a more local mode of activity, the hatchery registered as an official We Can! community site in May, and since that time, the hatchery has found the program to be a great partnering endeavor between each effort’s goals:  to get kids healthier, whether it be by eating better and/or getting them outside! 

Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist Amanda Patrick especially loves the program and has been fortunate to speak with representatives at We Can! in requesting materials and brochures for various meeting and conference events.  In doing so, she was able to talk about the grassroot level work the hatchery has been doing in Kentucky.  Because of the hatchery’s efforts, We Can! featured the hatchery in their most recent newsletter.  A link to the article is as follows:  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/news/news17.htm

To learn more about We Can!, including how to register your office/site with the program, please visit the following:  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/