“Outsiders” at the San Francisco Outdoor Nation Summit 2012
Photo Credit: Outdoor Nation

At the San Francisco summit, Patricia Tillmann, an Emerging Leader working as a Research Associate at NWF in the Seattle office described the training as “youth engagement done right”. Patricia had this to say about what went well for her:
“For me, the North Face Ambassadors were really inspiring. We had a campfire in the evening and the Ambassadors humbly shared their stories. Most of them came from at-risk backgrounds and shared exceptionally powerful stories about the role of nature in turning their lives around. I felt very emotional during their stories and reconnected to the positive power of nature in all our lives. “

Patricia’s group devised a project idea that will be funded by Outdoor Nations. Her project mission is to inspire a lifetime in the outdoors and bridge the gap between interest and action – one video at a time. They will accomplish this by increasing youth access to the outdoors by creating and showing a video of their favorite outdoor activities to high school students (at least 1,750 students in the first year). They will also create pamphlets with information on gear rental, training, and excursions, emphasizing free and low-cost options in their area.

Photo Credit: Outdoor Nation

“The weekend focused on devising a plan for encouraging outdoor activities and the attendees represented a very diverse mix of public and private groups who all helped with the envisioning process. More importantly, the event was very helpful to my diverse group of students from three colleges; it encouraged collaboration and introduced them to the larger movements beyond their campuses.”

Overall, the ELC Outdoor Nation participants enjoyed their weekend with fellow outsiders. Many of them are already considering bringing a new delegation of outdoor enthusiast to a summit next year!

I have a special place in my heart for toads because of Grandpa.

The year was 1975 and my mother, 9-year-old brother and I, age 5, were spending another summer at my grandparents’ home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We had just finished a dinner of breaded pork chops and potato salad, and the grown-ups were at the kitchen table playing cards. My brother and I were sitting on the steps to the backyard, our silhouettes growing darker in the beam of light shining from the kitchen as the sun began to set.

Grandpa was a kindly soul and while he didn’t say a lot to us, he was always ready with a joke or a piece of rock candy when he came home from a long day of cutting glass. He could see we were bored, so without a word, he got up and grabbed a couple of large metal flashlights from the back porch, gave them to us, pointed at the grass and went back to playing cards. My brother and I just looked at each other, knowing we were supposed to wait for something to happen—but what?

Just then, lumps seem to emerge in the grass as if by magic. What were they, fairies? I shone the light on one of the larger lumps coming our way. Gleaming gold eyes stared back at us. I almost screamed! Then it hopped into the light: a toad, one of a great menagerie of hopping black-speckled gold and brown balls of various sizes. The grass looked like popcorn popping on a stove. Suddenly, we knew the game.

I ran out to the grass and picked up the biggest one I could find. It puffed up so much I could barely grasp it in my tiny hands. I was so proud of discovering what I called the “king of toads,” I ran into the house to show Grandpa. “You may have the grand prize winner!” he proclaimed. Everyone applauded and didn’t even mind as the dirt from the toad was smeared all over my shirt after I returned him to his place in the yard.

When Grandpa died, I asked for our lucky toad-hunting flashlight because all one might need for finding a toad and a love of nature is a source of water, a flashlight and a vivid imagination.

So the summer went: the great toad game of who would find the most toads or the biggest one, the one with the prettiest spots or the fastest jumper, and each night ending with a firework display above the water dishes. I never got tired of it.

By the time we were teenagers, my brother and I had stopped spending every summer at my grandparents. When I was 20, I visited them after not seeing them for many years. At first, Grandpa didn’t know what to do with this grown-up grandchild. Then, he silently got up out of his lounge chair, went to the back porch and picked up one of those heavy metal flashlights. I followed him out the back door.

“I haven’t seen them for years since they built up over that pond in back of us,” Grandpa said apologetically. “But we’ll try.” After nearly a half hour, we finally saw him: a lone majestic toad prince peering out from under the shed. I gently picked him up and showed my prize to Grandpa. “I guess you win this round,” he proclaimed with a grin.

That was the last time I saw Grandpa before he died. I had indeed won, both memories I treasure and an enduring appreciation of toads. Along with Grandpa, these wondrous creatures will always sit in a special place in my heart. Never underestimate the power of grandparents or a simple backyard experience with nature to inspire one’s love of it for a lifetime.

Be Out There

NWF’s Be Out There® program offers many guides for parents and grandparents on how to grow the enjoyment of nature in your backyard and beyond. See the new Nature Play at Home Guide for tips on how to create nature play spaces at home and get The Dirt on Dirt, on why letting kids get dirty is a good thing.

Get More About Wildlife

Read and subscribe to National Wildlife magazine’s Animals Channel for more articles on wildlife, including How to Dote on Toads and Frogs Need Our Help, So Hop to It!

Students construct a model solar-powered building (Creative Commons/NC Sun News).

On May 3, 2012, the National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) hosted the National Education Policy Institute’s event “Saving the Soul of Public Education,” which featured a session on STEM. Panelists included astronaut Leland Melvin, who is the Associate Administrator of education at NASA, Yohance Maquelba, the Executive Director of Howard University Middle School for Science and Math, Ted Brodheim, COO of ePals, and Horace Williams, Superintendent of Cedar Hill Independent School District.

From placing high-speed internet in the hands of every student to connecting classrooms with role models from NASA, Microsoft and other big names in STEM, each panelist gave specific, compelling examples of real-life efforts to get children of color from all over the country thinking about the possibilities STEM offers. Though the title of the session, “The New Three R’s,” was in reference to Science, Technology and Engineering, there was one big “R” that steered the conversation: relevancy.

Afterward, panelists took questions from the audience, and when I asked about the ability of environmental learning to demonstrate the relevancy of STEM, all agreed that it has an important role. Melvin described NASA’s initiative to connect employees to schools as STEM ambassadors, and that they are introducing classrooms to the new Earth Now  app, which monitors changing climate data via satellite. This fits well with NWF’s Eco-Schools USA NASA-funded high school curriculum on climate change as well as providing students with hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that helps connect them to both STEM disciplines and the environment.

Superintendent Williams described several green initiatives that are going on in his district that are engaging students and teachers and connecting them to the community. He stated that Cedar Hill students have community gardens on school grounds, where they are partnering with a local community college and a local 4-year university. A nutritionist from the First Lady’s Let’s Move Nutrition program is in the district teaching students the health benefits of eating from the gardens. Even a nearby tilapia farm contributes as a source of natural fertilizer for the gardens.

NABSE’s leadership is well aware of the benefits of environmental education. Before the session even got underway, I had the pleasure of speaking with NABSE’s President-elect Bernard Hamilton, who spoke enthusiastically about school environmental projects in his hometown of Louisville, KY. It’s clear that diversity in STEM is something we need now when it comes to education – for our kids, for our environment, and for our economy.

Want to learn more about bringing STEM and environmental learning into the classroom? Click here to read about Eco-Schools USA’s Climate Change Connections program and the educational resources provided by NASA.

Considering just how diverse the U.S. is – and is becoming – we are talking about a LOT of children who are missing out on the benefits of environmental education–and especially the abundant applications to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in environmental science and outdoor learning.

Latinos, the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S., are also among the most underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Meanwhile, Latino children, especially ones in urban and low-income neighborhoods, largely miss out on environmental education and  outdoor experiences. This was a topic of discussion at “Overcoming Environmental Injustice: Getting Latino Kids Outdoors,” a Graduate Summit hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) on April 16th. Melissa Ocana, a CHCI Graduate Fellow, discussed her research and moderated a four-person panel on STEM, Latinos and environmental justice. Panelists included NWF’s Laura Hickey, Senior Director of Eco-Schools USA, and Jackie Ostfeld of the Sierra Club, who chairs of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids(of which NWF is a founding member).

NWF's Laura Hickey speaks at the CHCI STEM Summit

I point out the economy because STEM is an increasingly important, yet decreasingly popular route of study for American students. In other words,  demand for careers in STEM is growing while we are failing to supply enough young STEM-trained individuals to fill these jobs. Engaging more students in environmental learning would increase their ability to make connections between STEM and real-world opportunities.

We may be able to debate the ideal amount of time kids ought to be spending outdoors (which is, in my opinion, a LOT more than is typical today), but we cannot turn our backs on the devastating results of the unhealthy, indoor childhood. Getting kids from all backgrounds outdoors, learning the science of the environment, is key to their health, career prospects, and much more.

Photo Credit: Stacy Bare, Sierra Club

The Celebration of the Military Child Outdoors (or COMCO) brought about 200 military kids and family members to the park and featured various outdoor activities including guided hikes, fly fishing, freshwater invertebrate and tree identification, a live raptor exhibit, and nature games. Although COMCO was for families with one or more active duty service members, all visitors to the park that day enjoyed a fee-free day courtesy of the National Park Service.

A recurring theme for the day, echoed by guest speakers including NPS Director Jon Jarvis, was that these children are our nation’s youngest heroes who face challenges that non-military kids do not, like parents who are away for multiple deployments and the possibility of having to move every couple of years.

Opportunities to connect to nature — and to their peers — offer many benefits for military kids. Jackie Ostfeld, a National Youth Representative for the Sierra Club says that the outdoors “gives them an outlet for some of the stress and worry they feel at home” and lets kids just be kids. Spending time outdoors is also a great way for parents to de-stress and find strength in a natural setting.

A 2010 study found that children of deployed parents are much more likely to suffer from stress disorders and to have behavioral problems. Time spent in the outdoors, meanwhile, has been found to reduce stress and provide many other physical and mental health benefits. In other words, as Stacy Bare, the Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors Military Families and Veterans Representative says, “the outdoors heals.”

Ranger Rick and NWF Volunteers at COMCO

Volunteers from NWF helped kids make nature-inspired arts and crafts and led nature games. And everybody’s favorite NWF mascot Ranger Rick himself was in attendance, offering hugs, high-fives and autographs for kids of all ages!

LA Conservation Corps, Santa Cruz Channel Islands NP (flickr | Robert Garcia)

Conservation corps are national, state and local programs that engage youth and young adults (ages 16–25) in service, training and educational activities. Within the Corps Network, there are 151 service and conservation corps currently operating throughout the U.S. Annually, corps enroll more than 30,000 young people in service (and engage approximately 289,000 community members in volunteer work).

Over a season, participants perform crucial maintenance on America’s public and tribal lands and waters. They also keep tabs on wildlife and ecosystem health in their designated area. Their work, from repairing trails to surveying streams, is incredibly important in keeping our natural heritage alive and well for future generations.

The PLSC study assessed participants from 10 member corps of the Public Lands Service Coalition against a random comparison group. It asked all groups their likelihood to engage in community and conservation efforts, and their attitudes toward public lands and environmental activism.

Results indicated that corps participation was associated with a much greater likelihood to engage in nature-centric activities, such as backpacking or hiking.

Additionally, corps service was associated with significantly increased developmental outcomes, with participants reporting an enhanced ability to work in teams, demonstrate self-responsibility, and take on leadership roles. Volunteerism was also significantly higher, as was interest in pursuing careers or furthering their education in public lands and conservation.

The rationale for asking these types of questions is straightforward. The report states:

“While PLSC members are well positioned to address key national issues (e.g., youth disengagement with nature) and circumstances, the current economic climate makes attempts to secure both federal and private funds tenuous.”

In short, showing off the incredible ability of the corps to prepare an ambitious, diverse set of young people to tackle some of our nation’s biggest obstacles—such as youth unemployment and disconnect from nature—will ensure its very future.

Learn more about the work conservation corps are doing in your home state on the Corps Network website, which is also a great resource for corps job openings around the country.  While you’re at it, check out the Student Conservation Association for more on green job opportunities!

Watch the video to see why that definition doesn’t begin to describe what they witnessed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Screen capture from above video

* Starlings are often considered nuisance birds in North America, but they are native to Europe.

Share photographs of the wildlife in your area on NWF’s Flickr group and log it in at Wildlife Watch.

A new study from researchers at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Burden of Disease and Cost-Effectiveness and elsewhere published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds that, for people over the age of 25, every hour of television watched could shorten life expectancy by nearly 22 minutes.

The amount of TV viewed in Australia in 2008 reduced life expectancy at birth by 1.8 years (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 8.4 days to 3.7 years) for men and 1.5 years (95% UI: 6.8 days to 3.1 years) for women. Compared with persons who watch no TV, those who spend a lifetime average of 6 h/day watching TV can expect to live 4.8 years (95% UI: 11 days to 10.4 years) less. On average, every single hour of TV viewed after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 (95% UI: 0.3–44.7) min.

That means that, while enjoying the 2002-2008 HBO series The Wire, I basically shaved 1,320 minutes off my life. The Wire is a really great show, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t watch it, but…that’s 22 lifespan hours down the tubes, to be measured from now on as Subtracted Max Hours (SMH).

(flickr | Brandon Doran)

Delightful Aaron Sorkin genre-straddler SportsNight clocks in at 495 minutes–8.25 SMH. Even The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, which I watched on TV last night, robbed me of nearly 0.5 SMH (commercials included). I thoroughly enjoy unrealistically limber sitcom dialogue and watching Stockard Channing assemble a team of basketball players according to astrological sign, respectively, but I probably could have used that end-of-life time for something, you know, meaningful.

As noted by Jenna Peters last month, a recent study showed obesity rates climbed over the prior year in 16 states, and not a single state reported a decline in the proportion of excessively overweight residents. Over 2 million children in America are obese … and, hey, look at that: children ages 3-12 spend 1% of their time outdoors, and 27 % of their time just watching TV.

In June, Jenna highlighted a study that concluded that for every additional two hours people spend glued to the tube on a typical day, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 20% and their risk of heart disease increases by 15% (honestly, those two posts do a much better job of summing up the stakes than I do).

Owing partly to their role as the conservationists of tomorrow, young people need to spend more time in nature and being generally active. That much is clear. But we sometimes forget how important it is for slightly-less-young people to do the same thing. As always, staying healthy is a big part of that.

I hereby resolve to start trading the occasional hour spent watching television for a Green Hour, and be more selective with the TV I do watch (who really needs to see the episode where George gets the Frogger machine for the 7th time? Not a strong one anyway).

Eat this dandelion. (flickr | Michael Kappel)

If you’re like me—and the rules of blogging dictate that I must assume you are—you hear ‘Davidson’ and think of former Davidson College great Stephen Curry, a 2008-09 consensus first-team All-American and current Golden State Warrior (If you’re really, really like me, you’ll also think of the time Davidson lost to Maryland in the first round of the tournament and Maryland subsequently lost to Butler by three points due to a bogus foul. But I digress!).

Now the North Carolina-based college is doing something pretty interesting for environmental education. The decade-old Davidson College Ecological Preserve has recently served as host to family outdoor learning excursions as part of World of Wonder (WOW!), an environmental education partnership of the Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC) and Woodlands Discovery.

Scientific American guest blogger and DLC volunteer Lilly Vicens on a recent outing:

The goats were no doubt the initial attraction for families that signed up for the free program, but children were greeted by WOW! Volunteers with recipes for Kudzu salsa, candy, and jellies, along with bags to collect their fill of Kudzu leaves along the way. Immediately darting from vine to vine, choosing only the smallest, most flavorful leaves, one six-year-old girl exclaimed, “this is like free salsa!”

Yes, the goats. As in a herd of them, rented by Davidson to sustainably control marauding kudzu vines (kids got to learn a little about invasive plants too).

Vicens writes that participants “were encouraged to not only see and listen, but to touch, smell, and eventually taste nature in all its wonder.”

Carolyn Walker, Director of Woodland Discovery, organizes the WOW! educational booth at the Davidson Farmer’s Market, which stays busy with families participating in the latest environmental craft, activity, or concept – from solar ovens to flower printing. Last Saturday there was a line of children waiting to see a cloud of tadpoles and take some home, but only if they promised to release the frogs back into their original habitat.

Sometimes this is the best way to combat the indoor childhood phenomenon and its resident life hazards ( sloth, obesity, environmental illiteracy, et al).

For me, experiencing nature was capturing and observing centipedes and woodlice, tasting wild onions and dandelions, smelling everything on the ground until I found something rank (I was a boy). It was those experiences that led me to the library again and again for books on wildlife and instilled a lasting appreciation for the natural world.

PhotoLibrary.com

Now, it seems replacing ‘green time’ with ‘screen time’ may be even more dangerous than we thought.

From Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, via Science Daily:

Six-year-olds who spent the most time watching television, using a computer or playing video games had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes — a marker of future cardiovascular risk, in a first-of-its-kind study reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

“We found that children with a high level of physical activity had a more beneficial microvascular profile compared to those with the lowest levels of physical activity,” said Bamini Gopinath, Ph.D., lead author and senior research fellow at the Center for Vision Research at the University of Sydney. “This suggests that unhealthy lifestyle factors may influence microcirculation early in life and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension later in life.”

In the study, 6-to-7-year-olds who played outside regularly had wider average retinal arteriola than kids with low levels of activity.

We already know sitting around and staring at screens all day is bad for your body and your heart: according to Journal of the American College of Cardiology, “[s]pending too much leisure time in front of a TV or computer screen appears to dramatically increase the risk for heart disease and premature death from any cause.” I believe I make a hilarious remark to that effect in the video below.

We even know that staying inside all day is bad for kids’ eyes. A 2009 report found that kids who regularly spend time outside may be less likely to develop nearsightedness than their indoor peers.

But this study arrives at the unsettling conclusion that there’s some confluence between the eyes and the heart when it comes to being a couch potato. All the more reason to get kids out of the house and into nature.

You can read NWF’s Whole Child Report here for more on the benefits of outdoor play. While you’re at it, join our Be Out There movement.

Enjoy me trying to talk. Be kind, I usually have a hand puppet.

Click here to view the embedded video.