Children ignore nature’s call

Like many of you, I’m captive in the office today and suffering from nature withdrawal.

I’d rather be hiking, skiing, fishing or just about anything that would get me into the real world outside. But while I feel a little sorry for myself, I grieve much deeper for the growing number of people who are hunkered indoors without knowing what they are missing.

Maybe you’ve read letters to the editor and opinion columns by animal rights activists gloating over the declining percentage of hunters and anglers in the American population. They relish this news as though it’s some sort of victory or sign of enlightenment.

Instead, it’s a symptom of a broader dumbing down of the American nature IQ.

The trend is not new, but few people have sounded the alarm more effectively than Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.”

Published just eight months ago, the book has spawned features in mainstream media to reach millions of listeners, most of whom are sitting on their butts on a couch.

But at least some of them are listening.

The Outdoor Retailer Industry Association recently invited Louv to give a keynote address because “they are seeing the writing on the wall,” Louv said in a telephone interview Wednesday from his home in San Diego. “The industry is selling lots of high-end products to people with money. Meanwhile the sales of entry-level gear are declining.

“It has something to do with a lack of interest among children. And unless they do something about it, sales could decline overall down the road.”

Similarly, Louv has been asked to spread his scholarly insight in addresses to federal conservation agencies that have detected the trend.

“Baby boomer retirements will be bulging in 2007 while there’s a dramatic drop in college students enrolled in traditional conservation and wildlife management programs,” he said. “Where are the future conservationists going to come from?”

Studies show that the formation of nearly every conservationist is sparked by a transcending outdoor experience, he added. Hence, the concern.

The disconnect between children and nature, once insidious, has become blatant. “The implications are serious for the physical and spiritual health of the nation as well as the environment itself,” Louv said.

While environmental education programs have withered from lack of funding in recent years, a new body of scientific evidence is emerging to underscore the role nature has in healthy child development.

Louv suggests that environmental educators market themselves differently for funding.

“Instead of focusing on what’s outside Johnny and Judy,” he said, “it’s time to connect nature with what’s inside Johnny and Judy using new research that shows getting outside decreases attention deficit disorder, improves concentration, guards against child obesity, dramatically reduces stress and improves cognitive functions in terms of learning.

“Some people don’t care much about the environment, but they care about their kids.”

Louv is trying to kick-start a “no child left inside” movement. The National Wildlife Federation is following the lead with a campaign called “the green hour,” to encourage parents and educators to get their kids outdoors for an hour a day.

Louv describes himself as “a journalist who’d rather be fishing,” and he saw his two sons connect with more than lunkers during family forays to lakes and streams. He’s also seen children connect through school programs, such as notable examples in the Spokane area.

But these are exceptions in modern America, not the rule. The pressure for education geared to passing standardized tests isn’t helping the matter.

Yes, there’s hope. Louv recently addressed a group that was roughly half environmentalists and half ranchers interested in turning small portions of their farms into nature-study school yards.

“If we can pay farmers not to plant crops, we should be able to pay them to plant seeds of nature in the next generation,” Louv said.

On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill to fund a study of the effectiveness of environmental education in career development. The measure was backed by the Farm Bureau as well as the Sierra Club.

Farm-town kids are not immune to the symptoms of nature deficit disorder. “Child obesity is increasing at twice the rate in rural areas as in urban areas,” Louv said. “Even with easy access to nature, they’re often not going out.”

Active outdoor families may be insulated from this break from nature in the world around us. “But if we look around,” Louv said, “the parks are nearly empty of kids.”