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De-natured kids

BY Carol Felixson

I'm a bonafide nature lover. Just check out the green band on my right wrist inscribed with the letters T.R.E.E.H.U.G.G.E.R. It serves as a conversation piece when I'm talking about environmental education and research at UCLA's Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden and Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, which celebrates its 10th anniversary April 23.

I recently came across a book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv, which discusses how “kids today are aware of the global threats to the environment, but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature is fading.”

The phrase “nature-deficit disorder” is as catchy as it is disturbing. Louv describes the human costs of alienation from nature: “diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.”

Parents admit, with some dismay, to their children's over-scheduled lives, addiction to electronic devices, the reduction of available green space, and the parents' own understandable fears of natural and human predators.

The subject is a hot one for those of us who work in environmental education and fondly recall our carefree days exploring nature in our backyards or on public lands.

At my request, several colleagues weighed in on the subject.

One educator cited an example of a young girl walking through a mixed conifer forest, asking, “Where is the forest? And if this is it, where are the monkeys?” The educator pertinently pointed out: “Even when the forest is all around us, we must have the vocabulary and vision to see it.”

A garden docent remarked that she regrets seeing the word “disorder,” which suggests something is wrong with children, whereas the reality is that children reflect the circumstances and the age in which they live.

So what can be done? Various programs, including those at Stunt Ranch and the Mathias Garden, can help reunite children with nature. Teachers who visit the former express enthusiasm about how the curricula meet state standards and how the lessons and experiences at the reserve help widen students' horizons both physically and mentally.

Little wonder that one day a first-grade girl was overheard saying: “I'd like to live here. And Angie and Jazmin, you can be my sisters and we can all live here. And then the animals will be our brothers!”

Garden docents notice how kids love to watch living creatures and want to handle everything they see — pinecones, dried leaf casings, red berries, seed pods. Such instances give me hope and a renewed sense of determination to help the reserve and garden continue making significant contributions to the education and training of our next generation of leaders.

On a personal note: As of this writing, I'm a few weeks away from becoming a first-time grandmother. I have dedicated myself to doing all I can to ensure that my granddaughter, and those of her generation and beyond, will not be among the “last children in the woods.” Won't you join me in this valuable endeavor?

Felixson is director of education/ community outreach for UCLA Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve and docent/ outreach coordinator for the Mathias Botanical Garden. To learn more about UCLA's environmental education programs, go to nrs.ucop.edu/reserves/stunt.html and www.botgard.ucla.edu.