<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for This summer, form a family nature club]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by swan http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:24:04 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/1 Alone in nature

When I was a child, in the 40s and 50s, growing up on a ranch in South Texas I had all the room to roam any nature-lovin' child could want. I walked for miles with my activist Audobon grandmother on Padre Island without seeing any sign of people - or any trash. I sat for hours beside a river, spent long afternoons in an old live oak tree, way beyond shouting distance from the house, with no fear. The worse things to fear were rattlesnakes and I knew how to watch out for them.

I've hiked in the natural world alone off and on all my adult life. I know people are getting more fearful in general. I don't let my grandchildren go outside alone in this urban neighborhood I live in now. But I had no idea, until I read this article, that it is so generally assumed that people are afraid to go out into the natural world alone. I find that incredibly sad.

Recently a new wilderness area was designated within two hours driving distance of two million people in the Northwest. I have a story about the new wilderness called "Getting It Right" in my blog at http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

I hope people will find (or create!) places like this near where they live and let their children have the opportunity to sit by rivers and walk on beaches without fear. If we are going to do the hard work we must to save this planet, we are going to need all the help we can get and the power of the natural world will feed our spirits like nothing else can.

]]> Alone in nature

When I was a child, in the 40s and 50s, growing up on a ranch in South Texas I had all the room to roam any nature-lovin' child could want. I walked for miles with my activist Audobon grandmother on Padre Island without seeing any sign of people - or any trash. I sat for hours beside a river, spent long afternoons in an old live oak tree, way beyond shouting distance from the house, with no fear. The worse things to fear were rattlesnakes and I knew how to watch out for them.

I've hiked in the natural world alone off and on all my adult life. I know people are getting more fearful in general. I don't let my grandchildren go outside alone in this urban neighborhood I live in now. But I had no idea, until I read this article, that it is so generally assumed that people are afraid to go out into the natural world alone. I find that incredibly sad.

Recently a new wilderness area was designated within two hours driving distance of two million people in the Northwest. I have a story about the new wilderness called "Getting It Right" in my blog at http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com

I hope people will find (or create!) places like this near where they live and let their children have the opportunity to sit by rivers and walk on beaches without fear. If we are going to do the hard work we must to save this planet, we are going to need all the help we can get and the power of the natural world will feed our spirits like nothing else can.

]]> Comment #2 by carrieschneider http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:34:39 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/2 "inner city neighborhood?"

The phrase "inner city neighborhood' really grates on my ear. I guess this is another way to say "poor, minority neighborhood". It would be better for the writer to say "dangerous neighborhood' or "high-crime neighborhood", and not to imply that every poor, minority neighborhood is dangerous. There are plenty of exceptions!

Otherwise, thanks for the article on this subject - I am active in a group that promotes neighborhood stewardship of open space parks in San Diego. More and more people are discovering the wonders of their inner city neighborhoods!

]]> "inner city neighborhood?"

The phrase "inner city neighborhood' really grates on my ear. I guess this is another way to say "poor, minority neighborhood". It would be better for the writer to say "dangerous neighborhood' or "high-crime neighborhood", and not to imply that every poor, minority neighborhood is dangerous. There are plenty of exceptions!

Otherwise, thanks for the article on this subject - I am active in a group that promotes neighborhood stewardship of open space parks in San Diego. More and more people are discovering the wonders of their inner city neighborhoods!

]]> Comment #3 by FuzzyBlackCat http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:05:47 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gettingOut/3 Nature Strollers

Thank you for mentioning the Nature Strollers and the Orange County Audubon Society in your article. As mentioned, we have been encouraging other Audubon chapters to create family nature study groups of their own.

The mission of the Nature Strollers is to support parents and grandparents in their role as primary interpreters of nature for their families; to provide opportunities for families to enjoy unstructured time outdoors; to familiarize families with local trails, refuges, sanctuaries and preserves; and to develop networks among families with a common interest in nature.

We currently have more than 90 member families in our group, and already this spring we have organized and led more than 35 outings. Thanks to a grant from New York Audubon we have been able to distribute pond and butterfly nets as well as pond and insect field guides to our families, and with our own Nature Strollers field guide to local family-friendly places to go we have been teaching our members how to choose exploring nature as a family activity.

We'd love to help you start your own family nature study group. Look for our start-up guide on the Nature Strollers web site (http://www.naturestrollers.org), or contact us via email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_rAClxHIVO2').innerHTML = output; //]]> . We'd be happy to help you get back to the woods!

-Kat D.

]]> Nature Strollers

Thank you for mentioning the Nature Strollers and the Orange County Audubon Society in your article. As mentioned, we have been encouraging other Audubon chapters to create family nature study groups of their own.

The mission of the Nature Strollers is to support parents and grandparents in their role as primary interpreters of nature for their families; to provide opportunities for families to enjoy unstructured time outdoors; to familiarize families with local trails, refuges, sanctuaries and preserves; and to develop networks among families with a common interest in nature.

We currently have more than 90 member families in our group, and already this spring we have organized and led more than 35 outings. Thanks to a grant from New York Audubon we have been able to distribute pond and butterfly nets as well as pond and insect field guides to our families, and with our own Nature Strollers field guide to local family-friendly places to go we have been teaching our members how to choose exploring nature as a family activity.

We'd love to help you start your own family nature study group. Look for our start-up guide on the Nature Strollers web site (http://www.naturestrollers.org), or contact us via email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_rAClxHIVO2').innerHTML = output; //]]> . We'd be happy to help you get back to the woods!

-Kat D.

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