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Conejo Recreation & Park District Master Plan Section II these high marks. Teens who do not engage in after school activities are 5 times more likely to be "D" students than those who do participate. (Ericson, 2001) c. Deters Negative Behaviors, such as Drug and Alcohol Use, Early Sexual Activity and Crime Contact with nature resulted in significant improvement for children with attention disorders and teens with behavioral disorders. (American Planning Association, 2003) According to the YMCA commissioned After School for America's Teens Survey in January 2001, teens that are unsupervised during the after-school hours of 3 to 6 p.m. are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual activity, cigarette smoking, and carrying and using weapons, than are youth who are supervised or involved in structured activities during those hours. Students who participate in one to four hours per week of extracurricular activities are 49% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents than students who do not participate, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study. (HHS, 2002) • Adolescents and young adults who watched television for more than 7 hours a week had an increased likelihood (up to 200 percent) of committing an aggressive act in later years, according to a continuing study that began in 1975 and followed 707 families for 17 years. (Kolata, 2002) • Fifty-seven percent of all violent crimes by juveniles occur on school days and 19 percent in the 4 hours between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., based on the FBI's National Incident -Based Reporting System data. (Snyder & Sickmund, 1999) • After-school recreational programs are a logical and inexpensive way to address crime. Communities with active recreation programs have seen local reductions in crime. One California district was able to keep 231,405 youths busy on evenings and weekends by using a court grant of only $13,000 (CPRS, 1996). No method has been established to measure how much crime is caused by a lack of supervision and recreation opportunities, but there is evidence that crime frequently drops when supervision and recreation opportunities are improved.44 3. The Economic Benefits of Recreation and the Conejo Recreation & Park District The U.S. Forest Service calculated that over a 50 -year lifetime, one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion.45 44 lbid 45 "Why America Needs More City Parks and Open Space." By Sherer, Paul M. The Trust for Public Land White Paper. 2003. 11-20 June 2, 2011