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One of the primary goals of the Healthy Parks Healthy People (HPHP) program, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is to offer group-based physical activities in natural settings. These activities arefor racially and ethnically diverse groups of individuals as an “upstream” strategy for improving health. This study investigated the health impact of selected two-hour HPHP Bay Area events that targeted low-income racial and ethnic minority groups using physiological and self-reported measures of stress and related variables. Study participants (N=52) in the selected HPHP Bay Area events donated saliva and filled out psychological measures of perceived stress (PSS-4; Cohen et al.) and mood state (I-PANAS-SF; Thompson, 2007) at the beginning and the end ofa two-hour guided walk in green spaces. Moreover, a measure of perceived restoration (SRRS; Han, 2007) was completed at the end ofthe walk. Study participants wore a physical activity self-monitoring device (Garmin Vivofit 2) to capture their step count and heart rate during the event. Stress, both measured by the analysis of salivary cortisol and self-reported perceived stress, significantly decreased over the course of the event (p<.0$) and there was a significant increase in positive mood (p<.05). The monitoring device also indicated that individuals were engaged in moderate levels of physical activity during the guided walks (x =8,990 steps, HR 95 bpm). The results encourage further development of nature-based health interventions to mitigate stress. Such interventions may be especially appropriate for low-income, urban, racial and ethnic minority groups that likely experience increased levels of stress due to social inequities and poor living conditions.

blizzards, and among the many pictures that come to mind is one of individuals surviving these catastrophes and "bouncing back" in the aftermath. From a theoretical perspective, this "bouncing back" has typically been linked to the concept of resiliency. Defined as an individual constellation of characteristics and capacities that mitigate the impact of biological, psychological and social factors that threaten an individual's health (Kaplan, 1999; Ungar, Dumond, & Mc-Donald, 2005), resiliency represents one potential outcome from participation in experiential and adventure-based programs that provides a societal-wide benefit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of participation in a three-week adventure-based expedition on levels and types of resiliency. Review of LiteratureResilience is derived from the Latin word resilio, meaning "to jump back" and gained much of its visibility from the fields of ecology (e.g., the ability of an ecosystem to survive a stressful natural occurrence), and psychology (e.g., the negative effects of an adversity such as divorce or other traumatic stressors upon children) (Manyena, 2006). From the perspective of experiential education, the question arises, however, as to whether short-term, expedition-type experiences can impact individual resiliency.

This study investigated outcomes of a college outdoor orientation program that utilized 3, 4, 5, and 12-day adventure based trips. Sense of community and sense of place were measured using a one-sample pre/post-test design (n = 118). Paired sample t-tests were implemented to explore differences and, in general, students reported significant changes following participation. Students demonstrated increases in the number of their friends, trusted individuals, and 6 of the 7 factorial components measuring sense of community and sense of place (p < .05). The importance of community and place is discussed, highlighting suggestions and implications for future consideration in outdoor orientation programming.