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Taking My Son To Work Day: Ranger Rick Loves the Granite State
On Saturday, July 18, my son and I had a terrific day joining more than 1,000 people at NWF’s and New Hampshire Audubon’s Engage Nature event. The event was a big hit for the kids and their parents, from “ponding” (kids having fun with nets in a pond), “fielding” (kids having fun in a field catching and identifying insects), seeing bald eagles and screech owls and a zillion of other fun filled activities.
Engage Nature
New Hampshire Audubon, our newest state affiliate, did a terrific job in organizing the event. They had five separate locations, including the McLean Audubon Center, Massabesic Audubon Center, the Hebron Fair & Newfound Audubon Center, Ponemah Bog Sanctuary in Amherst, and the Seacoast Chapter of NH Audubon at the Seacoast Science Center. New Hampshire Audubon is an independent state Audubon.
The Concord Monitor did an excellent job at previewing the event on the front page of their weekend section, highlighting the affiliation between NWF and New Hampshire Audubon:
“The purpose of the affiliation is to strengthen,” said Kelly Wing, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Audubon.
“It’s to provide a partnership that strengthens the capacity of each organization. . . . And it works particularly well, because of course, National Wildlife Federation being very large provides resources that a small organization like ourselves might not have. But what we can provide to them is local, on the ground, grassroots resources.”
Though it’s just begun, the affiliation has already helped pay for fundraising and development training for the New Hampshire Audubon’s staff and board that otherwise might not have happened due to limited financial resources.

National Poll Demonstrates Americans Realize the ‘Indoor Childhood’ is a Real Problem
I am sure that many of the event participants wouldn’t be surprised that a recent poll found that 82% of likely voters (Republicans and Democrats alike) believe that kids not spending enough time in is a problem (50% said it was an “extremely” or “very serious” problem). The poll was conducted by the Nature Conservancy, of “likely voters,” and demonstrates that conservation is a bipartisan, patriotic issue that united Americans from all walks of life.
NWF has some amazing resources for parents to make getting outside easy and fun. As a parent, I know my son’s schedule can often get focused on Taekwondo, hockey and other organized sports (which I love), so I make sure he gets as much unstructured time outdoors as possible. Some great resources that I recommend, include “The Dirt on Dirt: How Getting Dirty Outdoors Benefits Kids”, Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play, and Green Time for Sleep Time.
