tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87943121824715693642024-03-16T12:40:03.873-07:00The Whirlpool of LifeScott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-37708366055812729332015-01-15T11:34:00.002-08:002015-01-15T11:34:10.628-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Continuing the countdown of nature mentoring tips leading up to the publication of "How to Raise a Wild Child," here's this week's offering.</span><br style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Nature Mentoring tip #8</span><br style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">NATURE CONNECTION IS A CONTACT SPORT</span><br style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />Too often these days, children’s encounters with nature are dominated by a look-but-don’t-touch directive. Fearing that we must protect nature and our kids at all cost, we often do far more harm than good. Nature connection depends on firsthand, multisensory encounters. It’s a messy, dirty business—picking leaves and flowers, turning over rocks, holding wriggling worms, splashing in ponds. Lacking such experiences, children’s growth is impoverished and they’re unlikely to care for, let alone protect, natural places. So loosen up and find some hands-on nature experiences for the kids in your life. Rather than telling kids “no” all the time when they want to climb a tree, throw a rock, or step into a muddy pond, take a deep breath and offer words of encouragement. Don’t worry so much about the dirt and scrapes. Clothes and bodies can be washed, cuts heal.<br /><br />Most of the time, kids don’t need to be shown how to connect with nature. It’s engrained in their DNA. Rather than seeing nature connection as something you need to teach young children, the real key is simply to take them outside and let them do what comes naturally! At least on occasion, seek out some wilder places where kids can go off-trail and bushwhack a little. Nature connection is a contact sport, and nature can take it! </span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Don't forget to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Wild-Child-Science/dp/0544279328">preorder your copy of "How to Raise a Wild Child</a>," due out March 24th!<br /><br />(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)</span></div>
Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-71884362811761056122015-01-09T09:25:00.006-08:002015-01-09T09:31:47.951-08:00Nature Mentoring Tip # 9: Open Senses & Expand Awareness<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In the countdown to the March 24th release of "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Wild-Child-Science/dp/0544279328" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">How to Raise a Wild Child</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">," here is #9 in the Top 10 Nature Mentoring Tips!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wQo2E9HY3_4iIAXpa9Yqq21AhfRFyp3wiaYvkVvVr_jxHArSkatuZqI4KlgAEcSpdxSV0MgZuLQY5nMJE_t200HquzT0pbXWF81iPjZcoW5yO8_SEfYhIeAtJXfXuF0sLff6zVOmR90/s1600/800px-Discovering_the_trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wQo2E9HY3_4iIAXpa9Yqq21AhfRFyp3wiaYvkVvVr_jxHArSkatuZqI4KlgAEcSpdxSV0MgZuLQY5nMJE_t200HquzT0pbXWF81iPjZcoW5yO8_SEfYhIeAtJXfXuF0sLff6zVOmR90/s1600/800px-Discovering_the_trees.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Nature Mentoring Tip #9</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">OPEN SENSES AND EXPAND AWARENESS</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">Whether wandering, sit spotting, or just hanging out in na</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">ture, it’s important to fully open your senses and expand your awareness to everything around you. Encourage the children you’re with to do the same. </span>To begin, play with Deer Ears and Owl Eyes. Deer have amazing hearing, thanks in part to their very large ears, which capture the faintest of sounds. Try having children (or adults) cup their hands behind their ears and notice the difference in the sounds they can pick up. Ask them to figure out the most distant sound they can hear, and the total number of different sounds they can identify. Similarly, owls have amazing eyesight (and hearing). In this case, invite kids to soften their vision so that they can see as much as possible in multiple directions. Ask them to look straight ahead and move their outstretched hands forward from behind their heads to find the point where their hands first come into view. What is the most distant thing they can see? Then, on subsequent visits outdoors, pause once in a while to remind kids to use their Deer Ears and Owl Eyes. The mentor’s role is to continually push the boundaries of the child’s sensory sphere, helping her to see, hear, feel, touch, and smell the everyday nature that surrounds us.<br /><br />(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)</span>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-64327470222547816482015-01-01T09:23:00.003-08:002015-01-01T09:25:02.044-08:00Make New Nature Habits<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Happy New Year everyone!! T</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">he Whirlpool of Life has taken a lengthy hiatus as I finished my most recent book, "</span></span><i style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature</i><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">." Oh, and I have a day job to contend with too at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. However, the book is now completed and scheduled for release on March 24th. Here's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Wild-Child-Science/dp/0544279328">the Amazon page</a>, in case you're interested.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">So</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> I thought it'd be appropriate to feature a parallel countdown of nature mento</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">ring tips, building on tips I have shared before. But let's call these the <b>Nature Mentoring Top 10</b>. And, since there's no better time of year to consider establishing new habits, we'll kick things off with some new nature habits.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXugB3svsFHYxGazZX55blyUlLMBx_l-59_xvEpxTPqS_20_SrlctaWUeqzl9AH8fdm6WDj30fQR52jOQvabHKU3BO3KQ8cX6FdIqBYE5ZIwJv2TQNVcHbMAbtFuy6EXQw8Rz0eg0Vzo/s1600/Wild+Child+Book+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXugB3svsFHYxGazZX55blyUlLMBx_l-59_xvEpxTPqS_20_SrlctaWUeqzl9AH8fdm6WDj30fQR52jOQvabHKU3BO3KQ8cX6FdIqBYE5ZIwJv2TQNVcHbMAbtFuy6EXQw8Rz0eg0Vzo/s1600/Wild+Child+Book+Cover.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><b>Nature Mentoring Tip #10</b><br /><b>MAKE NEW HABITS</b><br />Changing behaviors is all about making new habits. So start a habit of getting the children in your life into nature more often. Take some time to discover the varieties of wild or semiwild nature close to your home and explore these places with your children. For young children, it might be the local park, the schoolyard, or your backyard. Even a few minutes a day is a great start. Chances are you and your kids will quickly discover that there’s far more to see and do than you imagined. Most young children will have no problem engaging with their natural surroundings. Their curious minds are built to do just that. Older children who’ve established a bias toward electronic screens may take a little more coaxing; this is where grown-ups need to exercise some imagination, and even foster a trickster mentality. Rather than telling children that they need to go out because it’s good for them, think about encouraging them to play games like tag and kick the can. The key here is to establish nature as the fun and preferred option for playtime. And here’s another habit to work on: the more you demonstrate the value of nature through your own actions, the more kids will tend to adopt the same value.</span>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com286tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-23762481331901322112013-07-28T11:51:00.002-07:002013-07-28T11:51:45.355-07:00NATURE TIP #4: You Don't Need to Be an Expert!
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many parents and teachers are intimidated to take children
out into nature for fear that the kids will ask questions the adult can’t
answer. The truth of the matter is that very few people are true nature
experts, able to identify the bulk of plants and animals in a given region, or
address queries about rocks, clouds, and waterways. And the great news is that
you don’t need to be an expert! You simply need to take kids outside, show
enthusiasm and respect for the outdoors, and let the child lead the way. If
kids ask questions you can’t answer, work together to come up with some
plausible explanations and perhaps continue the discovery on the computer when
you get home, figuring out the answers together. While out in nature, take on
the role of mentor rather than teacher. That means questions are typically far
more powerful than answers. Watch the
child carefully, find out what they’re interested in—perhaps some insect, bird,
or tree—and then ask them something about it. “Why do you think that squirrel spends
so much time in trees?” “How big do you think that cloud really is?” The key is
to power up imaginations and help to inspire wonder and awe. Oh yeah, and have
fun! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX0UjPTETl4fDHSAvgAYMB0ACU8AStYisov2kskHCqDGWP1aQnSEGkXHBcpDLjSRRHOsSST488lSUpspbn2g5kRFHyPogJRRCJtzTBSd8QGnt0nDXMWU5kjvlXk0da6FGNeCa4uOimC8/s1600/young_girl_with_an_adult_man_enjoying_the_nature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX0UjPTETl4fDHSAvgAYMB0ACU8AStYisov2kskHCqDGWP1aQnSEGkXHBcpDLjSRRHOsSST488lSUpspbn2g5kRFHyPogJRRCJtzTBSd8QGnt0nDXMWU5kjvlXk0da6FGNeCa4uOimC8/s400/young_girl_with_an_adult_man_enjoying_the_nature.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-4695308318980871742013-07-28T11:47:00.000-07:002013-07-28T11:47:24.132-07:00Seeking Help on My Current Book
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe that the disconnect between humans and nature ranks
among the most pressing and overlooked crises of our time, threatening the
healthy of children and adults, and the places they live.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Countless organizations--from natural history museums to zoos to
botanic gardens to environmental educators--claim to be connecting people with
nature. But when I went out searching for a single, encompassing how-to guide
on nature connection, I couldn't find one. As a result, following several years
of research, I'm now immersed in writing a general audience book (for Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt Press) on this subject, researching the art and science of
connecting people (and especially kids) with nature. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that many of you have a love of nature, as well as
experience connecting others to the natural world. So I'm seeking your
assistance. If you know of any great ways to forge an emotional bond between
children and nearby nature, please share them with me. Perhaps you know of some
recent amazing study, or an organization out there worth profiling. If so, I
would be most grateful if you'd share these insights with me. Who knows, maybe
your example will end up in the book together with an acknowledgement to you
for your contribution!</span><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K0lNSbWcA5ajMxF9dmwAMvniZKRNl2qPe5APJ_tWSEvU38A4hPNmLUr-8x09CHU63J7Iu6ysNoqrFZmLmUG6fq30oF3Uco88rJAgSY81b-o03GlNK0sjz7t-VqouECdTSxI39mLcHgs/s1600/Owl_Bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K0lNSbWcA5ajMxF9dmwAMvniZKRNl2qPe5APJ_tWSEvU38A4hPNmLUr-8x09CHU63J7Iu6ysNoqrFZmLmUG6fq30oF3Uco88rJAgSY81b-o03GlNK0sjz7t-VqouECdTSxI39mLcHgs/s400/Owl_Bird.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 21st Century is the age of crowd-sourcing. Thanks very much
in advance to all of you wise owls for sharing your collective knowledge!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-82168128645135055332013-07-08T11:01:00.000-07:002013-07-08T11:01:59.884-07:00NATURE TIP #3: Sit-Spot Practice
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Find a place close to home that’s immersed in a natural (or
semi-natural) setting. Ideally, this place will be in your backyard, so that
it’s easy to get to. Visit this spot regularly—preferably daily or at least
several times a week—and sit quietly there, observing with all your senses. Stay
each time for 30-40 minutes, breaking visits into 10-minute intervals. Listen
for birds and other animals, tracking your observations with notes and pictures
in a nature journal. Encourage the kids in your life to do the same. In this
way, with a little patience, anyone can learn the local “bird language,” the acquired skill of understanding the
meaning of local animal calls and movements. Sit spot practice will get you in
touch with all the wild nature events happening daily around your home. Pretty
soon, those random birds will become characters with individual personalities
that inform you about the current “mood” of the neighborhood. For more
information, check out at a pair of books by Jon Young: “What the Robin Knows”
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) and “Coyotes Guide to Connecting with Nature,
Second Edition” (Owlink, 2010, with E. Haas and E. McGown). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud9sVAmEILDLm8K0wCW3lwjnuWCQYVNbgypd-8wc3jaYOXukhKNqhv_KOCb6fbEV4Dj8C-ssmrYRmrKuUeDT0-nVfE-OGEmFzc3l8iLiIq3tkYA4MbisXXjnrgl5V6_0zmiGjBfuHhnA/s1600/what-the-robin-knows-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud9sVAmEILDLm8K0wCW3lwjnuWCQYVNbgypd-8wc3jaYOXukhKNqhv_KOCb6fbEV4Dj8C-ssmrYRmrKuUeDT0-nVfE-OGEmFzc3l8iLiIq3tkYA4MbisXXjnrgl5V6_0zmiGjBfuHhnA/s400/what-the-robin-knows-cover.jpg" width="267" /></a></span></div>
<b><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-21212780241421331742013-07-01T06:42:00.002-07:002013-07-01T06:46:17.338-07:00NATURE TIP #2: Venture into the Bubble<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An essential ingredient of nature connection is learning to
see animals, plants, and other life forms as subjects rather than objects. Young
kids do this instinctively. Yet, unfortunately, most of us “grow out of it”
during our middle childhood years. One of the best ways I know to maintain and
foster this kind of attitude is the “soap bubble technique,” invented by German
biologist Jakob von Uexküll. Head outside and picture every creature surrounded
by a soap bubble that represents its own individual sensory world. Now imagine
being able to step inside the bubble of your choice—say, of a robin, earthworm,
or butterfly. No matter what your selection, your world becomes transformed. Because
all creatures have highly specialized senses, the experience of colors, smells,
tastes, and sounds is very different in your chosen bubble world, as are your
motivations. Encourage kids to find their favorite animal, enter the imaginary
bubble, and experience this alternate world. To spur thoughts in the right
direction, you might ask, “Why do you think that creature is acting that way?” Of
course, the soap bubble technique is aided by some knowledge of the sensory
world of the creature in question, but such understanding isn’t necessary. It’s
the imagination that counts most. Best of all, by adding on new layers of
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</span></span>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-11145502061728219152013-06-30T20:28:00.000-07:002013-07-01T06:46:05.727-07:00NATURE TIP #1: Engage the Senses<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Whenever possible, head outside and explore the multisensory
world of nature in all its glory. Too often these days, we are overly dependent
on our eyes and, as a result, closed to luscious scents, birdsong, or the
feeling of dirt between our toes. An emotional connection with nature is built
on a foundation of firsthand experience that taps into the full sensory range.
For kids, consider setting up a short outdoor rope course and invite them to
navigate it barefoot and blindfolded, perhaps identifying landmarks along the
way. Or ask them to close their eyes and name every sound they can hear at
different points along a forest stroll. Nighttime walks, preferably in a
natural place like a park, forest, or beach, are another magnificent way to
engage neglected senses. For a bounty of other sensory-expanding ideas, check
out books like Joseph Cornell’s “Sharing Nature With Children” (Dawn, 1998), or
Jennifer Ward’s “I Love Dirt! (Trumpeter, 2008).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsfjTD6-inyY3D7FI2HIDkT8VN0Zg205LzHFfWyHn5or9qczS0nXUY9fOEKzKS-pgW9mB1cPcPV77mBfN3sC7lh0fxT7kQ9maO_bWno6mLd0AyfA3r7lp3fGkBqdmZ3jb6HsfxgEDGso/s1024/Bushy_seaside_oxeye_(Borrichia_frutescens)_(7276182366).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsfjTD6-inyY3D7FI2HIDkT8VN0Zg205LzHFfWyHn5or9qczS0nXUY9fOEKzKS-pgW9mB1cPcPV77mBfN3sC7lh0fxT7kQ9maO_bWno6mLd0AyfA3r7lp3fGkBqdmZ3jb6HsfxgEDGso/s400/Bushy_seaside_oxeye_(Borrichia_frutescens)_(7276182366).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-6392728390805937642013-02-26T11:03:00.000-08:002013-02-26T11:16:53.104-08:00Denver-Bound<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As a few of you
have heard, next month I will be moving my life from the San Francisco Bay area
to Denver, Colorado to take on the role of vice president of research and
collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I am thrilled to be
joining the DMNS, one of the top-ranked natural history museums in the country.
At this pivotal moment in human history, museums of natural history have great
potential to help heal the divide that separates humans from nature, and the DMNS
is poised to take a leading role. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisoGbAyLOEPeq-H2GjGMG-FTH9sktxocWI856IgDDaA1n9h6fL4j2OEZpLeVBfVw_sdGPi0icELKrwOjBugszh2i1pgxxqBMATGkgHZqbgNzavLj5_eDo2dQIcnhckMUahP-lYXmi5oY/s1600/Museum-of-Nature-Science2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisoGbAyLOEPeq-H2GjGMG-FTH9sktxocWI856IgDDaA1n9h6fL4j2OEZpLeVBfVw_sdGPi0icELKrwOjBugszh2i1pgxxqBMATGkgHZqbgNzavLj5_eDo2dQIcnhckMUahP-lYXmi5oY/s400/Museum-of-Nature-Science2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I have been serving on the DMNS board of trustees for a couple of years
now, and thus have had a chance to get to know this remarkable institution and its
leadership. The Museum has already committed itself to moving beyond the 19<sup>th</sup>
Century “cabinets of curiosities” approach. Rather than being simply a
destination where people go to see old stuff and absorb information, the
revolutionary new way of thinking entails two-way interactions with the
community, and a much higher degree of relevance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When my good friend Kirk Johnson departed the VP role at the DMNS to take
on the directorship of the Smithonsian Natural History Museum, he suggested
that a move to Denver might be just the ticket, allowing me to pursue my
passion of connecting people with nature. I came to agree wholeheartedly, and
am honored that the Museum has chosen to bring me into their fold. Fortunately, along with heading up the research division, joining a talented leadership team, and working with the
local community, I’ll have the opportunity to keep doing some dinosaur research
and media work like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dinosaur Train</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o4KduwDFg1weXch934LxPbRbfb0DhUUirb8hqvYKgNY9LJaQKN1Hy6eUP9jt-4vrICbYOHfFALxquVnHNOJtFe9Co8AYd59See4zzsMdagXMbhxOomAUVVyex57nb_OvaxCPZ6PpHFk/s1600/denver-museum-of-nature-and-science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o4KduwDFg1weXch934LxPbRbfb0DhUUirb8hqvYKgNY9LJaQKN1Hy6eUP9jt-4vrICbYOHfFALxquVnHNOJtFe9Co8AYd59See4zzsMdagXMbhxOomAUVVyex57nb_OvaxCPZ6PpHFk/s320/denver-museum-of-nature-and-science.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So all in all, it’s a dream job for a kid who never quite grew up! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I hope to see you all in Denver as the DMNS embraces novel, exciting, and
revolutionary ways to explore and reconnect people with the natural world!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
(Note that the DMNS logo is a whirlpool of sorts. Coincidence?)</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Top image Credit: dbetoday.com </span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-68453503863626790682013-01-22T19:05:00.004-08:002013-01-22T19:05:43.322-08:00The Human-Nature Divide
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<i>Every year, NY literary agent John Brockman asks a group of folks to answer the "Edge Annual Question." This year's query is, "What should we be worried about." Below is my answer, a blend of some recent blog posts plus a new idea or two. Hope you enjoy. And feel free to check out this answer and the many other responses on Brockman's <a href="http://edge.org/annual-question/q2013">Edge website</a>. </i><br />
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We should all be worried about the gaping psychological
chasm separating humanity from nature. Indeed a strong argument can be made
that bridging this divide deserves to be ranked amongst the most urgent 21<sup>st</sup>
Century priorities. Yet so far the human-nature divide hasn’t even made it to our
cultural to-do list.</div>
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For the past several decades, numerous scientists and
environmentalists have been telling us that we must change our ways and strike
a balance with nature, or face catastrophic consequences. I myself have often
participated in this echo chamber, doling out dire statistics in hopes of
engaging people in action. The unspoken assumption has been that cold, hard
facts are all that’s needed for people (including business people and elected
officials) to “get it” and alter their unsustainable ways. To date, however,
virtually all the key indicators—from greenhouse gas emissions to habitat and
species losses—are still heading in the wrong direction. The blade of the “hockey
stick” continues to lengthen.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaiLwTjdjoB7ENI-vp4ubFpqVrwgnc3Tl_LB4vXbVHvJBBWxWZBWotZ7Ejdl-mNO4fgwoL_sMJiqas1eiX3RHTkcB1jh4FSNBCp7n3RGrfvJUgo88kDoboMgBuxtwDmG7HSrgKUJz6Tg/s1600/California+redwoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaiLwTjdjoB7ENI-vp4ubFpqVrwgnc3Tl_LB4vXbVHvJBBWxWZBWotZ7Ejdl-mNO4fgwoL_sMJiqas1eiX3RHTkcB1jh4FSNBCp7n3RGrfvJUgo88kDoboMgBuxtwDmG7HSrgKUJz6Tg/s400/California+redwoods.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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The problem is, humans aren’t rational creatures. At least,
not when it comes to shifting their behaviors. As marketing executives have
long understood, humans are far more susceptible to emotional messages,
especially when conveyed through imagery. Want to escalate sales of some new
car model? Beautiful people driving through pristine natural settings are far
more powerful motivators than statistics on horsepower and fuel efficiency. </div>
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But what emotion is needed to foster a sustainable shift in
human behavior? In a word, love.</div>
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As the late evolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould once
claimed in an uncharacteristic moment of sentimentality, “We cannot win this
battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond
between ourselves and nature—for we will not fight to save what we do not
love.” The good news is that, thanks to a lengthy evolutionary tenure living in
intimate contact with the nonhuman world, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the capacity to form an emotional attachment with nature probably lays
dormant within all of us, waiting to be reawakened (think E. O. Wilson’s
“biophilia”). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The bad news is
that, as a species, we’ve never been more disconnected from the natural world. </span>Thanks
to a variety of factors—among them fear of strangers and an obsession with
screens—children’s firsthand encounters with nature in the developed world have
dropped precipitously to less than 10% of what they were just one generation
ago. The average American youth now spends seven to ten hours per day staring
at screens compared to a mere handful of minutes in any “natural” setting. The
result of this indoor migration is a runaway health crisis, both for children
(obesity, ADHD, stress, etc.) and the places they live. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvqkaDU5mUUdfnuzhL860ciIUZ-zzvigZ0qDjDgvV2ZWMBpxS73G8k32CyI1Ysg62yg3vLg3NoZHlSHhkQeI9jhwBulRcXtTg7jyE2antnIwPWx5IeuUGWQ6wfUUteAsDYr3quaVYCgc/s1600/Southern+Utah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvqkaDU5mUUdfnuzhL860ciIUZ-zzvigZ0qDjDgvV2ZWMBpxS73G8k32CyI1Ysg62yg3vLg3NoZHlSHhkQeI9jhwBulRcXtTg7jyE2antnIwPWx5IeuUGWQ6wfUUteAsDYr3quaVYCgc/s400/Southern+Utah.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Science has been one of the primary forces driving a wedge
between humans and nature, prompting us to see nature as objects rather than subjects,
resources to be exploited rather than relatives to be respected. Yet science,
particularly over the past few decades, has also empirically demonstrated our
complete embeddedness within nature, from the trillions of bacterial cells that
far outnumber human cells in our bodies to our role as newbie actors in the 14
billion-year evolutionary epic.</div>
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Do we need more science? Of course, and the general public
must learn the necessary facts, dire and difficult though they may be. We’re
also going to need all the technological help we can get to help us navigate a
sustainable path into the future. Yet knowledge and technology without
emotional connection simply won’t cut it. The next generation of humans must
learn to see their relationship with the natural world in ways that will seem
alien to our current anthropocentric, reductionist, and materialistic
perspective. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-45594381944562111032013-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:002013-01-03T17:51:28.488-08:00Nature Tips<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We humans have a
rather bizarre relationship with nature. We seek out nature to stroll, run,
bike, rollerblade, climb, swim, skydive, surf, sail, commune, birdwatch,
whalewatch, and stargaze, spending billions of dollars a year gearing up for
and traveling to these activities. While there, we might collect bugs, rocks,
driftwood, fossils, counts of bird species, or, most commonly these days,
photographs. Closer to home, we grow nature in our gardens, place it in pots
that adorn our living spaces, cherish it as pets, and hug stuffed
manifestations of it to our sleeping bodies. Increasingly, we also consume
digital versions—books, documentaries, movies, and videos—that allow us to
travel to wild places without so much as stepping beyond the front door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On the flip side,
we also kill nature for sport and place it in cages for our amusement. We rip
it from mountainsides, scrape it off the ocean’s bottom, harvest it for raw
materials, befoul it with various toxins, and destroy it in vast quantities to
accommodate humanity’s sprawl. Most fundamental of all, we chew up and swallow
substantial amounts of nature daily simply to fuel our bodily selves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How can we possibly
eat nature and love it too (beyond the taste, that is)? More to the point, how
exactly do we go about connecting with this thing called nature?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The heart of the
answer, I’ve come to think, is embodied in a simple question. Do you think of
yourself as inside or outside of nature? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOTfvjLhs0iDLRU41FIv77NLz2e6zBcS8eqw6ie9faLhq1N8i2j3r8q9jIKTInhvdyTlHgZUyCAqhRwnE3gQl9jySK81NSRYLQc7imywoZtZPa9bacm3qfiawzeyZsfCMMyvvemO9OZI/s1600/Trail+Ladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOTfvjLhs0iDLRU41FIv77NLz2e6zBcS8eqw6ie9faLhq1N8i2j3r8q9jIKTInhvdyTlHgZUyCAqhRwnE3gQl9jySK81NSRYLQc7imywoZtZPa9bacm3qfiawzeyZsfCMMyvvemO9OZI/s400/Trail+Ladder.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Our present
dominant worldview places humanity outside and above nature, reducing it to
mere resources. This “denaturing” has been ongoing for thousands of years, driven
by such forces as agriculture, science, and technology. If we’re going to
develop a true compassion for nature—a matter of urgent importance for this
century—we must understand that the human-nature divide is a delusion. Cutting
edge science now demonstrates that <a href="http://scottsampson.blogspot.com/2010/04/illusion-of-self.html">we are fully embedded within nature</a>, and
also that nature is embedded within us. All life forms on Earth, it turns out,
are our kin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The human-nature
disconnect is a cross-cultural phenomenon, blind to skin color and household
income. It applies to urban, suburban, and rural families. Today millions of
people are aware that we must reinsert nature into our lives, and especially
those of our children. But, in this time of increasing urbanization, helicopter
parenting, and digital obsession, parents and educators don’t know how to begin
the process, let alone foster a lasting nature connection in children. A
critical first step, then, is to map out the signposts common to this journey
wherever it is undertaken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Several years ago,
I came to the realization that re-establishing a strong emotional attachment
with nature was critical for the health of our children and the places they
live. Given all the organizations that profess to be connecting people with
nature—among them </span>natural history museums, botanical gardens, zoos,
planetariums, aquariums, science centers, nature centers, and schools—I assumed
that the process of nature connection must be well documented. What I found when
I went out to search for answers, however, was an abundance of disparate
articles and research papers, but no general audience summaries. So I’m now in
the midst of writing a book on nature connection intended for parents,
teachers, and anyone else seeking to connect themselves and others with nature.
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkWaXS7uaoLXf_zPyzXBe502geyGxV18xH1HuUR9yQyoOAOmXDhpj8c9A0Eu0P33JhEP4mjUL5ybHgs1_8eWsw9_zfA-RCD6bgknJq9oirunxfznJNoG5xODoAh9CriIdn8VjHC8XgAo/s1600/Utah+Slot+Canyon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkWaXS7uaoLXf_zPyzXBe502geyGxV18xH1HuUR9yQyoOAOmXDhpj8c9A0Eu0P33JhEP4mjUL5ybHgs1_8eWsw9_zfA-RCD6bgknJq9oirunxfznJNoG5xODoAh9CriIdn8VjHC8XgAo/s400/Utah+Slot+Canyon.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Yet, rather than
waiting for the book’s publication to reveal the process of nature connection,
I’ve decided to launch a Facebook site that will, among other things, serve as
the home of weekly “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nature Tips</i>”
during 2013. These tips, typically posted on Thursdays (just prior to the weekend), will provide direct
advice for connecting kids and adults with nature. My sincere hope is that you
will find them useful in your own nature-bonding efforts. Of course, please feel
free to share them with anyone else that you think might benefit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ultimately, nature
connection comes down to developing new habits of interacting with the
other-than-human world, habits of body and mind that encourage us to experience
natural wonders firsthand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So I cordially
invite you to check out the inaugural Nature Tip, all about engaging the
senses, on my new Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DrScottSampson">http://www.facebook.com/DrScottSampson</a>.
And, of course, feel free to share with others who might be interested!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I sincerely hope
that you enjoy Nature Tips. And may 2013 be a banner year of nature connection for
you and others in your life! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Scott Sampson</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-15973030671191169102012-12-31T12:47:00.000-08:002012-12-31T12:47:28.051-08:00Learning Bird Language
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Arriving at our backyard “sit spot,” Jade and I didn’t have
to wait long before the familiar chickadee duo appeared in a nearby thicket and
began chirping happily. A male robin patrolling his territory wasn’t far behind,
his pulsing crimson breast pumping out a gorgeous melody. Next to emerge,
seemingly out of thin air, was a pair of song sparrows, who began a staccato of
“seep-seep” calls. “I’m here.” “Yes, I’m here too.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly, like a lighting strike, the calm morning was
upended. The chickadees flew to a higher branch. All the birds switched to
high-pitched alarm calls, echoed by other birds previously unseen. A host of
avian eyes peered downward, searching. Somewhere in the underbrush, a predator
had arrived . . .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsvZTSjHcsEavG-LofnhrUbYR7Vug74J9lSIsbGtPEql9OoBCj0zxgW4bSkNWNbSyEpXm_OBJpJvd6fSxtfEOXD-tbJiZLunDlLxUCUbrieNZpcS-AM4Ykgay8FYTnrroSpqKwD2-2po/s1600/Coffee+Creek+Watershed+Preserve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsvZTSjHcsEavG-LofnhrUbYR7Vug74J9lSIsbGtPEql9OoBCj0zxgW4bSkNWNbSyEpXm_OBJpJvd6fSxtfEOXD-tbJiZLunDlLxUCUbrieNZpcS-AM4Ykgay8FYTnrroSpqKwD2-2po/s400/Coffee+Creek+Watershed+Preserve.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three years ago, I began work on a book about connecting
people with nature. I must confess that, at the beginning, I felt a certain sense
of self-satisfaction, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">convinced that a lifetime of outdoor play, hiking, and
camping—including, cumulatively, years spent living in tents in remote places while
digging dinosaur fossils—had forged within me a deep bond with nature. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But researching this book destroyed that
perception. Instead, I found that, like most of us, I was quite oblivious to
the natural goings-on around me. Indeed I often impacted these events in
negative ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My insights came in
part from reading about </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“b</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">ird
language,” the acquired skill of understanding the meaning of local animals’
calls and movements. Championed by expert naturalist, tracker, and mentor Jon
Young, bird language offers a powerful tool to heighten our awareness of, and
connection with, nature [1-3]. Throughout almost all of human history, people
were fluent in the local dialect of bird language because it was a matter of
life and death. A bird’s call might lead you to your next meal, or prevent you
from becoming some other animal’s meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Earlier this year, I decided it was time for me to learn bird language,
and my ten year-old daughter Jade decided to join in on the fun. Our guide for
the journey was Jon Young’s excellent 2012 book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What the Robin Knows</i> [1]. </span>By the end of the first month of regular
visits to our backyard sit-spot, Jade and I were beginning to see the
neighborhood differently. For one thing, those nameless little feathered
creatures chirping in the trees were transforming into distinct species, each
with a unique voice and character. Our journals soon included such entries as,
“Pair of chickadees singing in thicket to west,” and “Four European starlings
sitting in Monterey Pine to the south.” Through diligent awareness (aided by a
pair of binoculars and a birding app on my iPhone), we were beginning to see
and hear more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNdR-bciUKWl0vyr1ImyF7CAxqVkYih7-Cmc-ByyyyUIq8WW3UGeNP1F6DVvuKj-Q_binrPoLBU0GVScUxLNleEk2N0YHjrprX0XoX9ZWBuC6qgekWT_Qenso07UQpGLf0uxLSywqOdg/s1600/what-the-robin-knows-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNdR-bciUKWl0vyr1ImyF7CAxqVkYih7-Cmc-ByyyyUIq8WW3UGeNP1F6DVvuKj-Q_binrPoLBU0GVScUxLNleEk2N0YHjrprX0XoX9ZWBuC6qgekWT_Qenso07UQpGLf0uxLSywqOdg/s400/what-the-robin-knows-cover.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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Although birds are nearly ubiquitous outdoors, rarely do we
stop and consider what they’re doing, or why they’re doing it in that spot and
not another. Because we’ve forgotten what it’s like to hunt or be hunted, our
implicit assumption is that birds are a lot like us, moving about almost
randomly. But for most animals, predator and prey, random behavior offers a
fast track to premature death. If you’re a North American songbird, predators
come in various shapes and sizes, and threaten from multiple directions. Foxes
and cats prowl the ground. Raccoons and ravens raid nests in trees. Hawks and
owls attack from the air. Most feared of all, it seems, are accipters like the
Cooper’s hawk, a common but rarely seen assassin befitting the title, “Death
from Above.” Cooper’s hawks are experts at killing birds on the wing, diving
fearlessly into trees and thickets.</div>
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<br /></div>
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No surprise then that most birds have small territories that
they know intimately, and tend to follow the same paths through these spaces.
Along with understanding local geography, those robins, wrens, and ravens are
fluent in bird language. Always vigilant, they listen continually for alarm
calls, and not just from their own kind. A robin will react to the alarm of a
song sparrow and vice versa. For the same reason, squirrels and rabbits know
bird language too. The end result is a vast web of awareness that generates a
local, ever-shifting “mood.” If the mood is relaxed, “baseline” behaviors such
as feeding and song dominate. If things turn tense, alarms will sound, silence
may ensue, and animals often flee. Although we tend to ignore our neighborhood
avians, it turns out that the birds know us, and our pets. Why? Because it’s a
matter of life and death. Local birds even react in predictable ways to our
behaviors. We simply fail to notice. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttRPrhpBUzWDdXf21zXN0PLhpwUGJwH23iIjFizR1d45XWq3hTqN7CgkQkHoENJQwrch_I_DL0Q9jAJT5pHqmPJzDpatGuNhMlBTPxWmfwfaQ3czl8YR23v7XRQJXf3VkKp3MtRjpkPo/s1600/ronrink.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttRPrhpBUzWDdXf21zXN0PLhpwUGJwH23iIjFizR1d45XWq3hTqN7CgkQkHoENJQwrch_I_DL0Q9jAJT5pHqmPJzDpatGuNhMlBTPxWmfwfaQ3czl8YR23v7XRQJXf3VkKp3MtRjpkPo/s400/ronrink.com.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Jade and I are starting to take note. We’ve learned that
the way we walk to our sit spot—slow and relaxed instead of hurried—can greatly
reduce the time it takes for the birds to resume their baseline behavior. The
biggest challenge in becoming adept at bird language, we found, is getting to
know this baseline for a variety of local birds. Each species uses several
different vocalizations, from melodious songs and subtle companion calls to
boisterous territorial squawking and, in the case of hungry babies, impatient
screams. Only by gaining firsthand understanding of this background behavior can
one begin to detect disturbances that might indicate a predator’s presence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet, even with just a few weeks practice under our belts,
Jade and I found our awareness expanding, and with it our sense of appreciation
and even empathy. When familiar birds are absent during our sit-spot sessions,
we wonder what they’re up to. And we find ourselves slowing down more often as
we enter and exited the house, listening for signs of the neighborhood “mood.”
Wildness just outside the front door is helping us deepen our bond with nature.
These interactions, I have come to realize, are essential to nature connection.
If we are going to foster in our children (and ourselves) that all-important
sense of internal wildness, we must first have abundant experience of external
wildness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jade and I are looking forward to becoming more fluent in
bird language in the coming year, and using these new skills to identify and
actually catch sight of local predators.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What will you do in 2013 to connect yourself and others with
nature? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Notes and References</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1.<b> </b>Young, Jon. 2012. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World</i>.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. Young, J., E. Haas, and E. McGown. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coyote’s Guide To Connecting With Nature</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Second Edition</i>. OWLink Media,
Shelton, WA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Website: <a href="http://birdlanguage.com/">http://birdlanguage.com/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Image Credits (top to bottom)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) www.ronrink.com</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-25494032223365912872012-11-29T14:25:00.000-08:002012-11-29T14:35:14.702-08:00Falling in Love With Nature<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yesterday,
I discovered a remarkable <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pznsPkJy2x8">TED talk by David Roberts</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Roberts is a blogger who
writes about energy and politics for Grist. His aim in this 15-minute
presentation, remixed with music and extra imagery, is to summarize and simplify the science
of climate change. Just the facts ma’am. Now, I study fossils, not climate, so
I’m not on a first-name basis with all the relevant data. Yet, given my understanding
of current climatological consensus, Roberts has his facts straight. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">His core message
is, to put it bluntly, terrifying. On our present trajectory (“business as
usual”), the forecast for the end of this century is at least a 4-degree
Celsius increase in global temperature, generating rampant coastal flooding, inland
desertification, and human suffering on a vast, unfathomable scale. A couple of
centuries after that, we may be facing a scorched Earth, unlivable for humans in
many regions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpplAMJ2ZnYO5iYDQe33j9x4hEdYazHOdWXrRPcEnxE0zgKRM6Q6LfI2UQlcwJkkbtvcVdEwQq9Qke4kNDWATFnPnqjrDHhPUubNBLNRWvz3Kqzy9DQe-BCJVeMbIMNS5TikDQJoWlTg/s1600/polar-532_1527216a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpplAMJ2ZnYO5iYDQe33j9x4hEdYazHOdWXrRPcEnxE0zgKRM6Q6LfI2UQlcwJkkbtvcVdEwQq9Qke4kNDWATFnPnqjrDHhPUubNBLNRWvz3Kqzy9DQe-BCJVeMbIMNS5TikDQJoWlTg/s400/polar-532_1527216a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For me,
the exactness of such projected increases in global temperatures, habitat loss,
and species extinctions is not the issue. If you accept the scientific method
as valid, and respect the strong consensus of the world’s top scientists, we’re on the
fast-track to Hades, with less than a generation to make a major course
correction. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This, of
course, is not exactly breaking news. For the past few decades, scientists and
environmentalists have been telling whoever would listen that we must change
our ways and strike a balance with nature, or face catastrophic consequences. I
myself have often participated in this echo chamber, doling out dire statistics
in hopes of engaging people in action. The unspoken assumption has been that
cold, hard facts, the kind the Roberts offers us, are all that’s needed for
people to “get it” and alter their unsustainable ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The
problem is, humans aren’t rational creatures. At least, not when it comes to
shifting their behavior. If you doubt this claim, look at the tactics used by the
true experts in behavior modification. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Marketing
executives have long understood that humans respond to emotional messages,
especially through imagery. Want to persuade a lot of people to buy a new car? Beautiful,
scantily clad bodies in pristine natural settings are far more powerful
motivators than horsepower or fuel efficiency statistics. So what’s the emotion
we need to foster if we’re to shift human behaviors in the direction of
sustainability? In a word, love.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSYucYDHISuwYouEznDyPmJzpUBaUWFzimHPHbnWZabemTEZD0mPXl639UI_ewBs40sQU2db9_Zr6C96-Xz3hvL_xUcNgHgiHWpRBxhn-wpu6J27VzzNB9YxkY3eH9eUFfMQ6wS0fOfc/s1600/kids-in-nature-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSYucYDHISuwYouEznDyPmJzpUBaUWFzimHPHbnWZabemTEZD0mPXl639UI_ewBs40sQU2db9_Zr6C96-Xz3hvL_xUcNgHgiHWpRBxhn-wpu6J27VzzNB9YxkY3eH9eUFfMQ6wS0fOfc/s400/kids-in-nature-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As the
late evolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould once claimed [1], “We cannot win
this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond
between ourselves and nature—for we will not fight to save what we do not
love.” The good news is that, thanks to a lengthy evolutionary tenure living in
intimate contact with the nonhuman world, the capacity to fall in love with nature lays dormant within all of us,
waiting to be reawakened [2]. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Embracing this emotional need, the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently launched a
“Love, Not Loss” campaign [3], arguing that we must replace the standard
doom-and-gloom message with one of love. (</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvIdwOEzreM">Check out their powerful video here</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.)
Our goal, they say, must be to help humanity to once again fall in love with
nature. I could not agree more. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And the
best time to initiate this love affair? Childhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Today,
few kids escape the frightening barrage of bad eco-news, frequently learning
about our rampant environmental destruction early in elementary school. And the
stunning images they see—polar bears standing on shrinking chunks of ice;
Amazon rainforest leveled under a mechanized onslaught—too often generate fear
rather than love, numbness rather than action. Here I concur with David Sobel
[4], who argues that, when it comes to education, there should be no disasters
before fourth grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So how do
we turn things around and help people fall in love with nature? Well, a growing
mountain of evidence suggests that the best place to start is wherever you happen
to be—that is, your local place. Plenty of firsthand, multisensory experience, together with a healthy dose of wonder, are essential ingredients, especially for children. Learning about
the history and workings of your local environs are also critical. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDldjtKKNfMXypSxExlR1oXpqqY2huMQWVu0vBGI2Zsn7bGtjY6iDbyBPqFIj-TGS345FYiyIWUfVitVP2JTlxSGKUCSA6eucsMloDYCbDFR5j_MAuu3-KYmyLoqWJfLtElIVENpOiN0/s1600/3063035024_6db1c8d8a6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDldjtKKNfMXypSxExlR1oXpqqY2huMQWVu0vBGI2Zsn7bGtjY6iDbyBPqFIj-TGS345FYiyIWUfVitVP2JTlxSGKUCSA6eucsMloDYCbDFR5j_MAuu3-KYmyLoqWJfLtElIVENpOiN0/s320/3063035024_6db1c8d8a6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In
contrast with traditional approaches, place-based learning is all about
hands-on, inquiry-driven, often outdoor activities [4, 5]. Going beyond
traditional disciplinary boundaries like math and social studies, emphasis is placed
on integrative projects that transform communities into classrooms. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Far from
being parochial, learning in place simply begins in local landscapes and migrates
outward. Better to understand that nearby oak or fir forest before trying to
comprehend (let alone care about) the Amazon rainforest. Many are surprised to
learn that a place-based approach to learning fosters not only a stronger
connection with local nature, but heightened academic performance across the
board. And it isn’t just for schoolteachers. To fully take root, parents,
caregivers, and informal educators must embrace this revolutionary approach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In short,
falling in love with nature begins at home, preferably as children, in our
local communities, inspired by wonder. </span>A strong sense of
place rooted in emotional connection reveals the beauty of the natural world,
the truth of our embeddedness within nature, and the goodness inherent in
caring for one’s home ground. It provides the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> foundation for Aldo
Leopold’s land ethic: “</span>A thing is right
when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic
community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBx6n8wzIqsInVKMw9Tgvll6n4mCFFgoSZWqqKzB2rtr9mzrh3ChakpIHpb2K2tETNDV66DSCi6MqjF1FdKGw2RJQoxeBOndz3cRGdKoWqlVXWT5SVuFqW_aQHTdn266D0aTDznxQoXc/s1600/girl+hugging+tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBx6n8wzIqsInVKMw9Tgvll6n4mCFFgoSZWqqKzB2rtr9mzrh3ChakpIHpb2K2tETNDV66DSCi6MqjF1FdKGw2RJQoxeBOndz3cRGdKoWqlVXWT5SVuFqW_aQHTdn266D0aTDznxQoXc/s400/girl+hugging+tree.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t
misunderstand me. If we are to navigate a sustainable path out of our current
predicament, we have to be honest with ourselves and learn the facts, difficult
though they may be. And we are going to need all the technological help we can get along the way. Yet knowledge and technology without emotional connection are simply not
going to be enough. That’s why helping children fall in love with nature deserves
to be an urgent international priority, on par with reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and preserving species and wild places. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">References<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Gould, S. J. 1993. Unenchanted
evening. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eight Little Piggies:
Reflections in Natural History. </i>Norton, New York.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Quotation from p. 40.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sampson, S. D. 2012. The
topophilia hypothesis: Ecopsychology meets evolutionary psychology. Pp. 23-53
in P. H. Kahn and P. H. Hasbach (eds.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ecopsychology:
Science Totems, and the Technological Species</i>. MIT Press, Boston.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">3.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/cec/cec_how_we_work/love__not_loss_/">http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/cec/cec_how_we_work/love__not_loss_/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sobel, D. 2004. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms
& Communities</i>. Orion Society, Barrington, MA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sobel, D. 2008. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for
Educators</i>. Stenhouse, Portland, Maine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Image Sources</b> (from top to bottom)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">1. http://junkscience.com/2012/06/14/sun-runs-obligatory-northern-summer-stranded-poley-pictorial/</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">2. http://nowastewednesdays.com/2011/04/27/</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">3. http://www.thenaturalcapital.com/2009/10/getting-kids-into-nature-great-websites.html</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">4. http://studio3music.com/things-to-do/less-tv-what’s-a-parent-to-do/</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-86133044653605009982012-10-29T16:15:00.000-07:002012-10-31T10:47:32.604-07:00More Monumental Discoveries<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Three collaborative field teams—all part of the
Kaiparowits Basin Project—have just wrapped up their 2012 explorations in the
wilds of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), southern Utah.
The trio of paleontology crews, all working in rocks of Upper Cretaceous age,
came from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), the Natural History
Museum of Utah (NHMU), and from the Monument itself. The results? More
dinosaurs. More crocs. More plants. And plenty of other amazing Late Cretaceous
fossils to add to the ancient treasures unearthed over the past dozen years [1].</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The GSENM crew, led by Monument Paleontologist Alan Titus,
had another spectacular year of discoveries, including an ankylosaur skull with
partial skeleton from the Wahweap Formation, and a variety Kaiparowits Formation
finds, including multiple duck-billed dinosaurs (aka hadrosaurs). The NHMU crew, under Mike Getty's guidance, spent most of the fall working on a pair of Alan’s hadrosaur discoveries. One
of these has abundant skin impressions that seem to differ from anything we’ve
seen thus far. The other includes a well preserved skull. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Kaiparowits badlands of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfePc543SmbZ5d_fiTl5r1YMiMHIbswu1jHnmFtkNcJlNIinlK44YkfpVp1QT0y3cOfr6U13wzS0RJyCcm0WdmQ8uDjGbXOOOM_jsD9QL4aIxBTchdQY8QUZP4y3b6mN8vmWZE1t4d-8/s1600/Blues+Badlands2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfePc543SmbZ5d_fiTl5r1YMiMHIbswu1jHnmFtkNcJlNIinlK44YkfpVp1QT0y3cOfr6U13wzS0RJyCcm0WdmQ8uDjGbXOOOM_jsD9QL4aIxBTchdQY8QUZP4y3b6mN8vmWZE1t4d-8/s400/Blues+Badlands2.JPG" width="400" /></a><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alan and his crew also excavated yet another skull and
partial skeleton of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parasaurolophus</i> in
2012. We now have on the order of six <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parasaurolophus</i>
skulls from the Monument, by far the largest collection of this tube-crested
duckbill known anywhere. At the end of the season, the Utah crew tried to get
into a more remote site to work on an exceptionally preserved lambeosaur
skeleton (perhaps another <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parasaurolophus</i>),
but torrential rains forced the crew to abandon the field area. Nevertheless, collaborator
and head hadrosaur researcher David Evans (whom I visited at the Royal Ontario
Museum just last week) is very excited by the sheer bounty of great fossils
emerging from GSENM. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After giving a talk at the Escalante Arts Festival on
September 28<sup>th</sup> (and seeing Alan Titus’ sensational cover band
“Mesozoic” rock the house the following day), I spent some time working with
the Denver field crew. The DMNS camp included interns, museum staff, and plenty
of enthusiastic volunteers, all capably led by paleobotanist Ian Miller and
vertebrate paleontologist Joe Sertich. They too had more fossils than they
could handle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At one extensive leaf locality, Ian directed a large-scale
census, documenting over 1000 specimens. Meanwhile, Gussie, one of the DMNS
interns, checked every leaf for insect damage, collecting dozens of examples
for subsequent research. Although no body fossils of insects have been
discovered in the Kaiparowits Formation, Gussie’s study of the different damage
types on leaves should give us some sense of the insect diversity that lived
alongside these Cretaceous dinosaurs. As a devoted “dinosaur guy,” I learned a
lot splitting rocks in a leaf quarry. And I had to admit, with the rapid pace
of fossil discovery (one every few minutes or so), paleobotany quarrying can be
addictive! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A Fossil Leaf Quarry</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMYJN0TwVJdwuSWrH2X4iO22WnHTscUJUt8wLhjltPUBAbbpDX-f1EbUSz-fYlBUrPWGT-Yj4f10fJ8ZyV0oEgAXJrdfJR1S9dxX6ux0JxEA8n9SWthLtSiYNAxXftuCUD48rc3XSr_s/s1600/Leaf+Quarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMYJN0TwVJdwuSWrH2X4iO22WnHTscUJUt8wLhjltPUBAbbpDX-f1EbUSz-fYlBUrPWGT-Yj4f10fJ8ZyV0oEgAXJrdfJR1S9dxX6ux0JxEA8n9SWthLtSiYNAxXftuCUD48rc3XSr_s/s400/Leaf+Quarry.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While half the crew dug leaves, the other half dug bones.
Two hadrosaur quarries about 50 feet apart took the bulk of the effort. Like
many of our best specimens, one of these is preserved in concrete-like
sandstone, requiring abundant use of a rock saw just to get down to the bone
layer. Some of the fossils will require a helicopter airlift, but for this fall
we were able to haul out a number of specimens in backpacks and on a stretcher.
(Yes, it's seems a little odd to "rescue" a long extinct dinosaur—piece
by piece—from the badlands using a stretcher, but it works.) Together with my
long time friend Dale Penner, I also checked out a promising new crocodile
site. We excavated just enough to demonstrate that this locality (found by Joe)
has great potential. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><i>Ian (background) and Gussie (foreground) looking for insect damage </i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpnvXd_WWk4rxxpCbfbETnHCrNhi4anfkRtnWQ_qUhZC2mCnNrLu8VoZBaM9D3MWE5WXHiVXa7dkkh_yIFxIlAL8cNntA-uNTTmW8k1-LMvI8rJk-QpW7gueRr_TZjBxXvFBPjAFqLpo/s1600/Gussie+&+Ian+at+Quarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpnvXd_WWk4rxxpCbfbETnHCrNhi4anfkRtnWQ_qUhZC2mCnNrLu8VoZBaM9D3MWE5WXHiVXa7dkkh_yIFxIlAL8cNntA-uNTTmW8k1-LMvI8rJk-QpW7gueRr_TZjBxXvFBPjAFqLpo/s400/Gussie+&+Ian+at+Quarry.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After I departed, Ian and crew returned to a leaf site in
a southern pocket of the Kaiparowits that we’ve dubbed “the Lost Valley.” The
name derives from the remoteness of this place as well as the fact that it is
“guarded” by sheer cliff walls on all sides. At this Lost Valley quarry, the
DMNS crew uncovered many beautiful fossilized leaves, cones, and flowers,
including plenty of previously unseen varieties. Thanks to the abundance and
preservation of these plant parts, as well as the way the shale fractures into
large chunks (preserving whole leaves), Ian is convinced that this is one
of the best Mesozoic plant sites he’s ever seen! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Joe Sertich doing a little rocksawing</i></span></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MCX7Q2mgtU4kTN4q0HH0Lw7X41cxHfOMcYxsCwpzObhDK2mgewNs8EtrIjLyyhrRFCNO53XunIs5DhT3DMqNzmQJp8cgtEsp8aolTwwovF_9R2KUNbp5QxObZaUyZ3opNlzrAFTTWWc/s1600/Joe+Rocksawing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MCX7Q2mgtU4kTN4q0HH0Lw7X41cxHfOMcYxsCwpzObhDK2mgewNs8EtrIjLyyhrRFCNO53XunIs5DhT3DMqNzmQJp8cgtEsp8aolTwwovF_9R2KUNbp5QxObZaUyZ3opNlzrAFTTWWc/s400/Joe+Rocksawing.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not far away, Joe Sertich and crew worked on a newly
discovered site with ceratopsian skull, vertebrae, and limb bones that may
belong to the 15 horned wonder known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kosmoceratops</i>.
While working the quarry, one of the volunteers, actor-photographer-weatherman-and-all-round-good-guy
Billy Doran walked to the other side of the same hill and found more
ceratopsian bones, including skull parts from a much bigger animal eroding out
of the hill at what appears to be the same layer. If so, this site may just
represent one of the first horned dinosaur “bonebeds” that we’ve found in
GSENM. These sites, some of which contain dozens of individuals in formations
up north in Alberta and Montana, have thus far been rare to nonexistent in
Grand Staircase, so we will be excited to dig in again next spring! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Carrying dinosaur bones from the badlands on a stretcher</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qb8Z63ei-1WLXSFSWgG0Y6OIWl9tjbZUW-2J9CLu1yEDis8ePfh1-DXqUnGPZqOwH9k235ao4_ILMrsg0wCoUc2wEWaefGpUpZ5gtt16JDcUMmH-448vTVlk01S63OU9VA8zVCrvKbc/s1600/Jacket+Pull.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qb8Z63ei-1WLXSFSWgG0Y6OIWl9tjbZUW-2J9CLu1yEDis8ePfh1-DXqUnGPZqOwH9k235ao4_ILMrsg0wCoUc2wEWaefGpUpZ5gtt16JDcUMmH-448vTVlk01S63OU9VA8zVCrvKbc/s400/Jacket+Pull.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Finally, although we have found plenty of dinosaur
eggshell fragments, and even the occasional large piece of fossilized egg, so
far the dinosaur nests have eluded us in GSENM. Till now anyway. Joe just informed
me today that his group came across a possible nesting horizon, with many big
chunks of shell along with tiny bones and teeth that could well be embryonic.
However, like the Utah crew, the Denver team was forced to escape before the
big rains hit (or, more accurately, while they were hitting), so this is
another site that we will have to wait until next year. So stay tuned for more updates!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">References</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sampson, S<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">. D. 2012.
Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scientific
American</i>, March, 2012: 40-47.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Photographs</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span">All photos taken by the author while in the field, September and October, 2012.</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-15605754464440782212012-09-27T06:48:00.000-07:002012-09-27T07:49:42.321-07:00Dear Rachel<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">September 27, 2012<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 9.0pt; text-indent: -9.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dear Rachel,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 9.0pt; text-indent: -9.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fifty
years ago to this very day—September 27, 1962—your world-changing book </span><i>Silent Spring</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was first published.
Though you did not live to see the full revolution that ensued, rest assured
that the book’s impact has been immense: the environmental movement,
Environmental Protection Agency, banning of various pesticides, Earth Day, </span> . . . on and on. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e3vxE64HTVBW-mMP3f7_ZNYv3xu_QBCDLhDxsVepV-QYLfsFNrMBvkUHwbyA80gK3-yPydnbFYixSNRdWmr-qrk7bZG8EkS7tpOl11H3EG9_SDBTxrQsyCOtSnZ3dEii0egqceJtv-8/s1600/en.wikipedia.org:wiki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e3vxE64HTVBW-mMP3f7_ZNYv3xu_QBCDLhDxsVepV-QYLfsFNrMBvkUHwbyA80gK3-yPydnbFYixSNRdWmr-qrk7bZG8EkS7tpOl11H3EG9_SDBTxrQsyCOtSnZ3dEii0egqceJtv-8/s400/en.wikipedia.org:wiki.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It’s not
surprising, then, that for most people, the name Rachel Carson still brings to
mind an ardent activist bravely confronting chemical companies in defense of
human and environmental health. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yet others,
including me, think of you differently: poet, beach walker, scientist, lover of
nature (sea creatures in particular), and someone with a deep passion for
connecting children with the natural world. Oh how I wish you had been given
the time to write your “wonder book,” as you affectionately called it. Instead,
I must delve time and again into your essay, “Help Your Child to Wonder,” reading
about that stormy night when you ventured down to the seashore with your baby
nephew Roger to witness the booming surf. I am still struck by the clarity and
verity of your vision; give children abundant outdoor experience in wild places
together with at least one adult mentor to share the journey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I was a
year old when Silent Spring came out, and only three when breast cancer
prematurely ended your life. One decade later in 1974, my father was taken,
also by cancer while in his mid-50’s. It is a terrible irony that those
chemical pollutants you documented so carefully, wrote about so eloquently, and
rallied against so fiercely may have been responsible for cutting short your
time with us. On this auspicious day, we celebrate your life and mourn your departure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rachel,
though I am far removed from your esteemed standing, I think it fair to say
that we have some things in common. I too am a biologist and a science
communicator. I too possess a lifelong passion for nature, and oceans in
particular, having spent most of my five decades in close proximity to one
coast or another. And I too am passionate about connecting children with
nature. Indeed nature connection has become the focus of my professional life
and, thanks to my daughter Jade, a wonderful part of my personal life as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But I have
a confession. I’ve felt haunted by your spirit. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu1t6rJrsP4vYv0o9QacRM0A7t6GInERwio0ZSqlvpgin_kXHm_5DF-2mP5nWM8fbLpU1qAxqRwBZq-9tVZq3AsPgRfS5xgrztCjIt0ILhs4OQTrtmp54-H6rM3mtUv3Bvaqh7bgbXnI/s1600/clinto2.nara.gov.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu1t6rJrsP4vYv0o9QacRM0A7t6GInERwio0ZSqlvpgin_kXHm_5DF-2mP5nWM8fbLpU1qAxqRwBZq-9tVZq3AsPgRfS5xgrztCjIt0ILhs4OQTrtmp54-H6rM3mtUv3Bvaqh7bgbXnI/s400/clinto2.nara.gov.gif" width="333" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The
decades since your death have witnessed an utter transformation in childhood—in
the wrong direction. Here in the early 21<sup>st</sup> Century, North American children
are lucky to spend a few scant minutes outside each day, on the order of 90%
less than their parents did. Indoors, reality has been replaced by virtual
substitutes, with youngsters succumbing en masse to the siren call of glowing screens
housed in powerful, often hand-held gadgets. Together with rampant rates of obesity, attention deficit disorder, and
depression, this indoor migration has left us with a gaping chasm between
children and nature, critically endangering the health of both. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sometimes
as I’ve paused to gaze out the window, or walked to the kitchen for another cup
of tea, I have felt your melancholy presence, saddened over the state of the
world and our failures in nurturing the children-nature bond. Lacking substantial
signs of progress, I’ve been unable to face you directly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To be
fair, there have been a number of bright spots along the way. Brightest of them
all, perhaps, is another book, </span><i>Last Child
in the Woods</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a 2006 bestseller penned by journalist Richard Louv. In this
well-researched volume, Louv spotlighted the dangers of our current alienation
from nature—what he termed “nature deficit disorder”—as well as the many health
benefits of nature connection. Perhaps for the first time since </span><i>Silent Spring</i>, a book became the vital
seed for a new environmental movement, this one focused on children. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirw14AeBfnp6y6u-IO_X7X6XvsSuShRX6SVWJIgWDm0_fCSSuB3Gtxubv4I7BEbaQwjA1el8Qe1sa4iBjpfocqSI5XvmkOte2rMWH2lUgstXkdqVo9FuHHNtjhMEaECBR_Nc1Hs4d0_8A/s1600/last-child-in-the-woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirw14AeBfnp6y6u-IO_X7X6XvsSuShRX6SVWJIgWDm0_fCSSuB3Gtxubv4I7BEbaQwjA1el8Qe1sa4iBjpfocqSI5XvmkOte2rMWH2lUgstXkdqVo9FuHHNtjhMEaECBR_Nc1Hs4d0_8A/s400/last-child-in-the-woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Under the
care and attention of grassroots supporters led by the non-profit <a href="http://www.childrenandnature.org/">Children and Nature Network</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, this seed has taken root and sent shoots skyward. Nevertheless,
until recently it seemed that the tender seedling could succumb at any moment, overheated
by the warming air or simply crushed by the technology gargantuan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, in
2012, by coincidence a half-century after Silent Spring’s debut, the “new
nature movement,” as it has been dubbed, suddenly matured into a robust,
thriving sapling. This unexpected growth, speeded by nutrients from many
quarters, has emboldened me to fill you in on recent events. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In 2011
and 2012 alone, the new nature movement has witnessed the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Children and Nature Network documents
more than 100 regional campaigns and 130 family nature clubs in over 80 regions
around North America, reaching over 3 million children per year.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Several research compendiums of
peer-reviewed studies are released, including the “<a href="http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/cec/?11010%2FChildren--Nature-Worldwide-Research-Supports-Importance-of-Connecting-with-Nature#.UFvWoJcFVVM.twitter">Children and Nature Worldwide Summary of Research</a>,” documenting a global spike in nature deficit disorder, as
well as critical reasons to connect children with nature.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Walt Disney Company, through
their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaTe215iKNU&feature=youtu.be">Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund</a>, honors five organizations for their
work in connecting children with nature, giving each a grant of $100,000.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">President Barack Obama (an African
American President!) launches the <a href="http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/">America’s Great Outdoors</a> initiative, with the
vision of connecting all Americans to the natural heritage of this country.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2012/releases/03/kids.shtml">U.S. Forest Service</a> commits $1
million to getting kids outdoors around the country.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The federal America’s Great
Outdoors and Forest Service initiatives are backed by various state level
programs—including the <a href="http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2012/05/interior-department-colorado-officials-sign-agreement-rocky-mountain-greenway-project9868">Rocky Mountain Greenway</a> project in Colorado and Twin
Cities Parks project in Minnesota—aimed at connecting urban populations to
local nature.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) adopts a resolution stating that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every child has “the inherent right to
connect with nature in a meaningful way, as a substantial part of his or her
everyday life and healthy development, and to enjoy, maintain, and strengthen
this connection through the direct and ongoing experience of nature</i>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Conservation leaders from around
the world at the 2012 IUCN meeting sign the “Jeju Declaration,” resolving to work
collectively through a new global campaign aimed at connecting people with
nature through national parks and protected areas.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZMAWSRrCbr43yQPJwIzTu-ExdLo8G9u1sLsPmSok1mSfd_dbaUSRSHIyiHVP7xl-KDrQgE6aBV6_YHwbsimYGPrXu6P3TFabqWBlvIzpq8SHdOt5LK8rtazw8Hqw7Z2EqMoA395qsWk/s1600/Jade+n+Scott+Birding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZMAWSRrCbr43yQPJwIzTu-ExdLo8G9u1sLsPmSok1mSfd_dbaUSRSHIyiHVP7xl-KDrQgE6aBV6_YHwbsimYGPrXu6P3TFabqWBlvIzpq8SHdOt5LK8rtazw8Hqw7Z2EqMoA395qsWk/s400/Jade+n+Scott+Birding.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As if all
this weren’t enough, in August I attended the 2012 Children and Nature
Grassroots Gathering, which took place at the verdant National Conservation
Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. While staying several nights
in a lodge named in your honor, I listened to over 100 committed people from the
US, Canada, and Australia speak about their efforts to connect children with
nature. David Room told us of his <a href="http://pachaspajamas.com/">“Pacha’s Pajamas”</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> project, which combines
music, media, and celebrities to create a “cool” fictional story aimed at
inspiring kids to get outdoors. </span><a href="http://www.cincynature.org/lncigc.html">Betsy Townsend</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> spoke of her remarkable
Cincinnati-based efforts to coordinate organizations and demonstrate the
essential human health benefits of nature. </span><a href="http://www.outdoorafro.com/">Rue Mapp</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.planetexplore.com/brother_yusuf">Brother Yusuf Burgess</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and
</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK-n3wr9d9w">Juan Martinez </a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">all spoke eloquently about connecting at-risk urban youth with
nature. Martinez, born and raised in south central LA, did not even experience
nature until his teen years; today he is a spokesperson for the Sierra Club and
an outdoor company called North Face; he’s also a National Geographic Explorer
and directs the Natural Leaders program of the Children and Nature Network.
Together, all of these individuals convinced me that the new nature movement is
ready to transcend its largely white, affluent base to become a truly diverse, global
revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Finally,
I know you’ll appreciate hearing that your message of awe and wonder is finally
beginning to sink in. More and more, people are realizing that the standard
gloom and doom approach (focused on warming climates, disappearing habitats,
and vanishing species) does not engage kids or adults. Instead there is growing
awareness that a sustainable path into the future demands that we talk about
love, about nurturing the emotional bond between kids and nature so that it
becomes an invincible force capable of upending cultural norms. Why will people
care for the places they live? Not because they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> to, but because they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i>
to. As the new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvIdwOEzreM">IUCN campaign</a> aptly states, “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrz8nxzo_nw">It’s about love. Not loss.</a>” As you
have long reminded us, our job is not so much to inform, but to inspire a love
affair between people and nature. Now there’s a joyous task!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rachel,
I’m happy to say that, for the first time, I no longer sense the haunting of
your spirit. These days, despite a host of frightening indicators, I find
myself truly hopeful. A burgeoning passion for connecting people with nature
seems to be “in the air.” Much remains to be done, of course, and we still need
to discover ways to rapidly scale current efforts. Yet, by following the
pathway of awe and wonder, I see a real possibility that the new nature
movement will mature from its current sapling into a stout arbor, with shade
aplenty for a harried species. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLfGe22YVYOLlIdbHtSneY6QrRdQRzk2TEGqMzYOinCsIM6JpGGYAcx4fdWuyLcQkxqZlPH87dnUIzJX0ijt99siMvrwUTv1rFYqkzX4Rol1IF-P2Pg9YY5f6xC6hfmyNeLrClQV3j3U/s1600/Fish+%2526+Wildlife+Service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLfGe22YVYOLlIdbHtSneY6QrRdQRzk2TEGqMzYOinCsIM6JpGGYAcx4fdWuyLcQkxqZlPH87dnUIzJX0ijt99siMvrwUTv1rFYqkzX4Rol1IF-P2Pg9YY5f6xC6hfmyNeLrClQV3j3U/s320/Fish+%2526+Wildlife+Service.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yesterday morning, as I walked along the beach, tasting the salty morning air and
inhaling the surf’s ebb and flow, I felt you walking by my side, an encouraging
smile upon your face, cheering me on. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thank you
so much for all you’ve done, and all that your legacy continues to do. We will
continue to work to live up to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">With Much
Love, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Scott Sampson</span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-15496451346411634892012-08-30T16:08:00.001-07:002012-09-01T09:44:35.029-07:00In Defense of Wildness<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When people think of nature, too often the only
images that come to mind are distant, expansive places like Yellowstone Park and
the Grand Canyon, or even more remote wilderness like Alaska’s Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. This is a grave mistake. Viewed through the wildlands lens,
nature is something you might visit at best a couple of times a year while on
vacation. Yet nature is everywhere—in our backyards, schoolyards, and gardens,
thrusting skyward through sidewalk cracks and chirping in the neighbor’s tree.
Indeed nature is quite literally everything, from stars and galaxies to planet
Earth and the stuff in you. As Henry David Thoreau once said: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“It is in vain to dream of a wildness distant from
ourselves. There is none such. It is the bog in our brains and
bowels, the primitive vigor of Nature in us, that inspires that dream. I
shall never find in the wilds of Labrador a greater wildness than in some
recess of Concord.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If we’re going to connect children (and ourselves)
with nature, we must learn, as Thoreau did, to experience the natural world
often, and with our full suite of senses. But what kind of nature do we need?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYEyfa75VLlJ7xpzKqBxGQjmcleKr3nSZOIpNzK-IMThASUQJGkoIpS4EWJLwg6sENO7KDAfTSKw9uS_ebSAdI8BYb0FHBgsT8TzQiUmDWruuYPBmzU_nGJd4zzuFB_2wIfoY8QIf1XQ/s1600/Kids+at+stream.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYEyfa75VLlJ7xpzKqBxGQjmcleKr3nSZOIpNzK-IMThASUQJGkoIpS4EWJLwg6sENO7KDAfTSKw9uS_ebSAdI8BYb0FHBgsT8TzQiUmDWruuYPBmzU_nGJd4zzuFB_2wIfoY8QIf1XQ/s400/Kids+at+stream.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The human experience of nature can be divided into
three commonsense categories: wild, domestic, and technological. By <i>wild nature</i>, I refer simply to organisms
and natural environments outside direct human control, from backyard birds to
vast wilderness areas. <i>Domestic nature</i>,
in contrast, is human-controlled—vegetable gardens and tree-lined streets,
organic farms and urban parks. In this sense, your indoor potted plant and pet
dog can be thought of as nature. Finally, <i>technological
nature</i> is any human-produced facsimile of the natural world, from
photographs and paintings to natural history exhibitions and documentaries
viewed on plasma screen TVs. As portrayals of nature rapidly expand both in
variety and quality, people are interacting with stunning simulations,
sometimes in high definition 3-D. So it’s important to consider such virtual experiences
as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Boundaries distinguishing the members of this trio can
be hard to define. Whether one calls an urban park wild or domestic depends on
a number of subjective measures. Certainly many creatures inhabiting these
parks are wild, living outside direct human control. The boundary between
domestic and artificial nature becomes equally blurry when we think, for
example, about looking through a telescope at a distant galaxy, or even experiencing
nature through a window. Yet my concern is less with defining divisions and
more about which of these broad categories we need most, and in what amount, to
establish a meaningful connection with nature. This issue becomes all the more
pressing as wild nature is rapidly replaced—both in actual abundance and human experience—by
domestic and artificial alternatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My friend Peter Kahn, a psychologist at the
University of Washington, has spent his career examining human interactions
with the natural world, including technological nature [1]. One of his studies
investigated the effects of nature images displayed on giant plasma screens in
windowless offices. Adult occupants reported that, while they found the digital
versions soothing, they strongly preferred firsthand nature experiences.
Another experiment examined </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">responses of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"> young children to robotic dogs versus
living canines. Once again, while kids enjoyed the artificial versions,
they strongly preferred the real thing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QmUI3LuqvAFUom6GajJWrgrrrQ7BQ-yG4Vw-mbseJnL97r3qdKl8lhkrxzSR-55jcXVlwmRi_tkrXhttXSX7ecAj1YhjufXdzCImFtzGtAdVI2Km20WXwRGf36wWLFQAzyPpBfwGM0k/s1600/stick+insect.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QmUI3LuqvAFUom6GajJWrgrrrQ7BQ-yG4Vw-mbseJnL97r3qdKl8lhkrxzSR-55jcXVlwmRi_tkrXhttXSX7ecAj1YhjufXdzCImFtzGtAdVI2Km20WXwRGf36wWLFQAzyPpBfwGM0k/s400/stick+insect.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">These studies and many others indicate that real
nature—both domestic and wild—is far superior to technological nature when it
comes to evoking emotional responses and sense of connection in adults and
children. Some might counter this claim by pointing to the blistering pace of
technological innovation. Granted, one day innovative engineers may harness
replicated matter, force fields, and tractor beams to generate hyper-real
artificial environments akin to those of Star Trek’s “holodeck.” Meanwhile,
Kahn’s compelling conclusion is that technological nature experiences will be
impoverished relative to the real deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This finding is backed by recent research showing
that unstructured play in outdoor natural settings is essential for children’s
healthy growth [2]. Compared to kids confined indoors, children who regularly
play outside show heightened motor control—including balance, coordination, and
agility [3]. They score higher on tests of self-discipline, and tend to engage
more in imaginative and creative play, which in turn fosters language, abstract
reasoning, and problem-solving skills, together with a sense of wonder [4].
Nature play is superior at engendering a sense of self and a sense of place,
allowing children to recognize both their independence and interdependence. Play
in outdoor settings also exceeds indoor alternatives in fostering cognitive,
emotional, and moral development. And individuals who spend abundant time
playing outdoors as children are more likely to grow up with a strong
attachment to place and an environmental ethic. When asked to identify the most
significant environment of their childhoods, 96.5% of a large sample of adults
named an outdoor environment [5]. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmfGTFvnYlxX8uREGLfUB-EaF5mKuKu6aUO_8hckqzKZeXFry-R_9TryDQ6aiwklKmJKD0wwCrHSbTd0168Odw_j42PjX-eQnPxsXbmPctr3APC29jK4suJBSTFpEUbPPyNvVZarL2aA/s1600/girl+hugging+tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmfGTFvnYlxX8uREGLfUB-EaF5mKuKu6aUO_8hckqzKZeXFry-R_9TryDQ6aiwklKmJKD0wwCrHSbTd0168Odw_j42PjX-eQnPxsXbmPctr3APC29jK4suJBSTFpEUbPPyNvVZarL2aA/s400/girl+hugging+tree.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why is outdoor nature play so powerful? For one
thing, it offers a multisensory smorgasbord of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting, immersing children in a much grander world than can ever be captured
indoors, even on a computer screen. For another, natural playspaces tend to be complex,
with a much greater variety of unspecified props (rocks, sticks, mud, plants,
etc.) than indoor counterparts, so they stimulate more creativity and
imagination. Then there’s that all-important sense of wildness, complete with
birds, insects, and various creepy-crawlies, as well as the potential to create
special places away from prying adult eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We desperately need more research into the
physiological, cognitive, and emotional effects of nature, especially the
long-term impact of nature on childhood development. At present, it’s
impossible to state with any exactness the ideal mix of wild, domestic, and
technological nature necessary to forge a lasting nature connection in 21<sup>st</sup>
Century children. Yet research insights and anecdotal reports help us rule out
certain alternatives. For example, exposure to technological nature alone—from Lion King to Shark Week—isn’t going to foster emotional bonds with nonhuman
world. Similarly, domestic nature by itself likely won’t cut it either. Even
for the (now rare breed of) child who grows up on a farm with plenty of time
spent outdoors, a deep connection with nature is unlikely without regular time
immersed in some sort of wildness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To be clear, I’m not denying that domestic and
technological nature have important roles to play in fostering nature
connection. They certainly do, and we need to utilize the unique assets of each,
including such amazing tools as museum exhibitions and school gardens. Nevertheless, in contrast to these
alternatives, wild nature seems to be an essential ingredient. When Louise
Chawla of the University of Colorado asked a group of environmentalists to
summarize the reasons behind their career choice, most identified two factors: “many
hours spent outdoors in a keenly remembered wild or semi-wild place in
childhood or adolescence, and an adult who taught respect for nature” [6].
Another study of 2000 urban adults from across the US, ranging in age from 18
to 90, similarly found that experiences playing in wild nature prior to age 11
were particularly critical in shaping both environmental behaviors and
attitudes during adulthood [7]. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQJJjc9q_5dxDGE91u1W5ARvD9S_M_LfepdFqakt5bmANrpReDdmm4TzuWjTyXx1PLofw9tGA1AS6gbPXATvehqX0RR0hGbD0e_6I-RHybBM1tqak2-R_WnSNHhLyVD7vd835f04ZVGM/s1600/girl+leaping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQJJjc9q_5dxDGE91u1W5ARvD9S_M_LfepdFqakt5bmANrpReDdmm4TzuWjTyXx1PLofw9tGA1AS6gbPXATvehqX0RR0hGbD0e_6I-RHybBM1tqak2-R_WnSNHhLyVD7vd835f04ZVGM/s400/girl+leaping.png" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The importance of wildness should come as no surprise,
given that the human brain evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in
intimate contact with wild nature. And let’s face it—healthy relationships
depend on recognizing and nurturing the autonomy of both partners. If we are to
foster human-nature bonds, we must experience nature on its own terms, outside
human control. On the flip side, daily, weekly, or monthly time spent in
wilderness is neither practical nor necessary to forge a persistent nature
connection. What children require is day-after-day, week-after-week exposure to
some sort of nearby wild nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“But hold on,” I can almost hear you objecting, “what
about the hundreds of millions of us who live in cities? Where are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i> going to find wild nature?” This
question underscores a critical point. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Like
beauty, wildness is in the eye of the beholder.</i> A child’s perception of
wildness changes dramatically with age and life experience. A backyard or empty
lot with bushes, bugs, and an abundance of dirt, while ho-hum to most adults,
can be plenty wild for a young child. Kids in this early childhood phase instinctively
focus on the immediate—flowers and earthworms rather than forests and mountain
vistas. For children in middle childhood, a walk up a rocky creek flanked with
trees is a wild adventure, whereas adolescents require more expansive natural
places, including occasional wilderness excursions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In future posts, I’ll delve deeper into the
shifting target of wildness. For now, let me wrap things up by summarizing a
major challenge now before us. If kids are to have those all-important, everyday
experiences with nearby wild nature, we will have to re-nature</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">—or, perhaps more accurately, "re-wild"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">the places we
call home, from backyards and schoolyards to city streets and button parks [8]. It's time for a "Go Wild" revolution!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Notes
and References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. Kahn, P. H. Jr. 2011. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Technological Nature: Adaptation and the
Future of Human Life</i>. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2. Kellert, S. R. 2002.
Experiencing nature: Affective, cognitive, and evaluative development in
children. Pp. 117-152 in P. H. Kahn Jr. and S. R. Kellert (eds.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Children and Nature: Psychological,
Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations</i>. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA;
Lester, S. and M. Maudsley. 2006. Play, naturally. A review of children’s
natural play. Children’s Play Council, Volume 3, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.playday.org.uk/PDF/play-naturally-a-review-of-childrens-natural%20play.pdf">http://www.playday.org.uk/PDF/play-naturally-a-review-of-childrens-natural%20play.pdf</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">; Munoz, S. A. 2009. Children in
the outdoors: A literature review. Sustainable Development Research Centre,
Volume 4, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.lotc.org.uk/2011/03/children-in-the-outdoors-a-literature-review/">http://www.lotc.org.uk/2011/03/children-in-the-outdoors-a-literature-review/</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">; Hughes, B. 2012. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evolutionary Playwork</i>. Routledge,
London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fjortoft, I. 2001. The Natural Environment as a
Playground for Children: The Impact of Outdoor Play Activities in Pre-Primary
School Children. <i>Early Childhood
Education Journal</i>, 29(2):111-117.</span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Cobb, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">E.
1977. <i>The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood</i>, New York, Columbia University
Press; Taylor, A.F., A. Wiley, F. E. Kuo and W. C. Sullivan. 1998. Growing up
in the inner city: Green spaces as places to grow. <i>Environment and Behavior</i>,
30(1): 3-27.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5. Sebba, R. 1991. The landscapes
of childhood: The reflections of childhood’s environment in adult memories and
in children’s attitudes. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Environment and
Behavior</i>, 23(4): 395-422.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Chawla, L. 1999. Life
paths into effective environmental action. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal
of Environmental Education</i>, 31(1):15-26.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">7.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Wells, N. M. and K. S.
Lekies. 2006. Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature
experiences to adult environmentalism. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Children,
Youth and Environments</i>, 16(1):1-25.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8. Louv,
R. 2011. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Nature Principle: Human
Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder</i>. Algonquin, New York; Finch,
K. 2012. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Nature Play as an Everyday Joy
of Childhood? For Kids, Frequency Requires Proximity. C&NN Natural Families
Network; Finch, K. 2010. “A Parents’ Guide to Nature Play” from Green Hearts Institute
for Nature in Childhood: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.greenheartsinc.org/Parents__Guide.html">http://www.greenheartsinc.org/Parents__Guide.html</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>Image Credits (top to bottom)</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Image 1 & 2, Author</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Image 3: www.friendsofterrywilepark.org</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Image 4: www.nfw.org </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-53428467726166701392012-07-30T10:17:00.001-07:002012-08-03T06:50:57.154-07:00Mothers All the Way Down<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not long ago, I stood with my
nine-year old daughter Jade on a rocky knoll over the ocean near our home.
Minutes earlier, the sun’s orange disk had slipped below the horizon. In the
distance, San Francisco began to glow. Much further away, starlit pinpoints began
poking through the darkening dome overhead. We watched a clan of turkey
vultures execute spiraling descents before settling for the night in a
eucalyptus tree. As we began our own short descent toward home, it seemed as
good a time as any to tell Jade the Universe Story, that grand saga of everything. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This story, perhaps science's greatest contribution, is all but absent from our culture. As a result, a major proportion of people in the industrialized world live without any cosmology to root them to the earth, to the rest of humanity, and to the place they call home. With the exception of Montessori schools, even our education system has ignored this epic tale. As the all-encompassing story of us, the Universe Story deserves to be center stage in homes and classrooms around the country. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">What most folks don't realize is that the story of everything can be told anywhere, in an hour or less. Every place has the makings for a simple, yet dynamic retelling. And home turf is often best. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">I began with a flourish. “Once
upon a time 14 billion years ago, the universe was born in a humongous
explosion called the Big Bang. At the moment of its birth, the entire universe
was super-hot—trillions of degrees—and crammed into the tiniest of spaces, far
smaller than a speck of dust.” (For effect, I revealed a grain of sand held in
my palm.) “Zooming into existence, the universe cooled as it expanded, starting
off as a simple place with no stars, no planets, and no life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Stars came first, born from
sprawling clouds of hydrogen gas. The pull of gravity caused parts of these
clouds to collapse into giant balls. As they shrank smaller and smaller, these hydrogen
balls grew hotter and hotter until, suddenly, their cores burst into flames and
began to burn incredibly bright. What had once been a simple cloud of gas now
held thousands of glowing suns. These newborn stars gathered with others in huge,
spiraling cities of stars called galaxies, each one with billions of suns. Our
home galaxy, the Milky Way, looks to us like a thin veil of light crossing the
night sky. But point a telescope at that veil and you’ll find that it’s
jam-packed with stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLztmG7Pn87KXbvxrI3u7bCYv3tg-mGYD-GRR6dNdoHrmYrOILJmuSusHsvmx1pgkcVY_aVIW_X5_f7CZqurUpgffP-W3YkMmfWuhonQbOzAVhHAXN1CsnX0uq4KRWMcW9RDqGZHh1Bw0/s1600/Hubble-telescope-heart-of-020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLztmG7Pn87KXbvxrI3u7bCYv3tg-mGYD-GRR6dNdoHrmYrOILJmuSusHsvmx1pgkcVY_aVIW_X5_f7CZqurUpgffP-W3YkMmfWuhonQbOzAVhHAXN1CsnX0uq4KRWMcW9RDqGZHh1Bw0/s400/Hubble-telescope-heart-of-020.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Although stars are pretty
simple—just enormous balls of hot gas—they share a lot in common with people.
They’re born, have lifetimes, and die. They come in different sizes and, like
you, go through many changes as they age. A major difference between stars and
people, though, is how they die. Truly gigantic stars go out with a bang,
exploding in monstrous events called supernovas. A single supernova can
outshine all the other billions of stars in its home galaxy! Astronomers have
discovered these exploding stars in distant galaxies, but the last one seen in
the Milky Way was over four hundred years ago, just before the first telescope
was invented. So stargazers on Earth are waiting excitedly for the next
supernova in our little corner of the cosmos.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">I stooped to pick up a hunk of
sandstone, handed it to Jade, and continued. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Deep inside the cores of those
very first stars, all that burning transformed hydrogen into heavier and
heavier bits of stuff, like helium, carbon, oxygen, and iron. When giant stars
exploded as supernovas, all of this heavy matter cooked up inside their cores
was blown out into surrounding space, creating more clouds of gas and dust.
Rumbling shock waves from later supernovas then triggered the collapse of these
wispy clouds into new stars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">The leftover heavy stuff
swirling around newborn suns became families of planets. Our sun was one of
those later stars, born with eight circling planets—from little, rocky worlds
like Earth and Mars to gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. Billions of other
solar systems are traveling around other stars in the Milky Way, and in other
galaxies. So the stars gave birth to the planets. And all the stuff that makes
up planets—from that rock in your hand to the entire Earth—was created inside a
burning star.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Jade’s eyes widened and she
handled the chunk of stardust gingerly, as if it might still be hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyXm4cSd9UXC6n8ZoezQIP5EeF69Llx-JBSj4XkBYhzAX7OXyPqI0a1NNHNHNLCg9hg9aTWr1ks5oY8t27cDRPrghfvMQOEzOEHMtKEe05MmRxFR7lm4doQiAOcbwI_whh7JnzmL-f9M/s1600/earth+from+space2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyXm4cSd9UXC6n8ZoezQIP5EeF69Llx-JBSj4XkBYhzAX7OXyPqI0a1NNHNHNLCg9hg9aTWr1ks5oY8t27cDRPrghfvMQOEzOEHMtKEe05MmRxFR7lm4doQiAOcbwI_whh7JnzmL-f9M/s400/earth+from+space2.gif" width="398" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“When Earth was born, it was
red-hot, bubbling with molten lava. There was no life back then. Not even any
land or oceans. Over millions of years, the surface cooled and formed a thin
crust. Think of a hot apple pie, and you’ll get the idea. Earth’s rocky crust
split into enormous chunks that moved around, bumping into each other. You and
I are standing on the Marin Headlands, made mostly of rocks that formed
underwater during the Age of Dinosaurs. But this particular slab of Earth’s
crust, including that rock you’re holding, started way down south near the
equator. Over millions of years, the land crawled slowly northward, traveling
about the same speed as your fingernails grow. Eventually, it crunched into
North America down near Mexico and was shoved northward, setting off
earthquakes as it inched its way up to where we are today, near San Francisco
Bay.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span">Jade grasped the rock tightly
and whispered, “Coooool.” Upon reaching the beach, we trod barefoot into the
surf, the icy vestiges of waves dancing across our legs and feet. Stooping to
gather a cupped handful of seawater, I said, “How many living things do you
think I’m holding?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Millions,” she guessed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Hundreds of millions,” I
replied slowly. “The oceans are overflowing with tiny bits of life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Jade scooped up her own watery
sample, staring intently in hopes of glimpsing the bacterial bounty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKxOoxGM13zqBf1n-o6IPxCcK7Y3l0toS3B4J62cDzCC6ERlRZlR2hiLlGrLBPWUaAUikgG_RxYv6nmNf8-Pl-DBB6AnpoIJkO-W2Qcfx2iXLt7im0QFP7lJdEwgOx17nHwWonzmmni4/s1600/cypridina-zahl_3535_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKxOoxGM13zqBf1n-o6IPxCcK7Y3l0toS3B4J62cDzCC6ERlRZlR2hiLlGrLBPWUaAUikgG_RxYv6nmNf8-Pl-DBB6AnpoIJkO-W2Qcfx2iXLt7im0QFP7lJdEwgOx17nHwWonzmmni4/s400/cypridina-zahl_3535_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Life got its start here in the
sea,” I continued, “made from stuff in Earth’s crust. The earliest kinds of
life were bacteria, each one made of a single cell. And believe it or not, for
most of the past four billion years, all life on Earth has been one-celled and
microscopic. But those early bacteria were amazing. They learned how to do
things like breathe oxygen and grab energy from the sun.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">From amongst the flotsam and
jetsam, I grabbed something long and whip-like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Hundreds of millions of years
later, some of the sunlight-eating bacteria began to merge with each other,
becoming creatures with many cells. Their descendents gave rise to seaweed like
this bull kelp, and also to land plants.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">We continued down the beach, with
Jade clutching her rock in one hand and now dragging the bull kelp with the
other. After crossing a creek, we paused to visit some familiar neighbors at
the junction of land, sea, and air. Unable to discern much in the gathering
darkness, I encouraged Jade to gently feel the bevy of rock-clinging critters:
thickly ridged shells of blue muscles, granular arms of ochre sea stars,
leathery “necks” of goose barnacles, and tiny swirls of checkered periwinkles.
The squishy stickiness of a giant green anemone elicited a delighted scream.
Amidst the din of breaking waves we could hear the scurryings of rock crabs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsIijQYB7orCrUn7RcJMSqUFRjLknJrtJ_aoMLB4fMykeMPKnDoupwBm1mt6GZcJs1egXrRHiqShBI7wF8n1JOdRyuHBjA14NdLoGCCnrL_MlmjGJ0N98FRhBDeHDL5K41iRGRO5GXfI/s1600/maldives-sea-star_9407_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsIijQYB7orCrUn7RcJMSqUFRjLknJrtJ_aoMLB4fMykeMPKnDoupwBm1mt6GZcJs1egXrRHiqShBI7wF8n1JOdRyuHBjA14NdLoGCCnrL_MlmjGJ0N98FRhBDeHDL5K41iRGRO5GXfI/s400/maldives-sea-star_9407_600x450.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Alongside the
sunlight-catchers, other kinds of life learned to feed on the sun’s energy by
eating each other. These were ancient ancestors that would one day give birth
to animals, including the sea stars, muscles, and barnacles on these rocks.
Fishes appeared early on too, becoming top predators in the seas. The great
white sharks out at the Farallon Islands, and the Coho salmon that struggle up
Redwood Creek each year, are direct descendents of those primitive fishes.
Eventually, a few ancient fishes found their way onto the land, first
transforming into amphibians and much later into reptiles. Some of those scaly
reptiles became dinosaurs that stomped around right here on the coast of North
America. A few of those dinosaurs sprouted feathers, and then wings,
reinventing themselves as birds like those turkey vultures we saw awhile ago.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">I settled on a chunk of
driftwood and Jade immediately clambered onto my lap. We were nearing the
story’s end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“When people first arrived here
around 15,000 years ago, the place resembled the Serengeti of Africa today,
with lots of huge herbivores. Mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth, horses,
camels, and bison all roamed along this coast. There were plenty of big carnivores
too: American lions, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, and giant short-faced
bears. It was the Ice Age, a very cold time when so much water was locked up in
ice that the oceans shrunk and sea levels dropped. Back then, the land between where
we’re sitting and the Farallon Islands, more than 20 miles away, became a
grassy plain jam-packed with animals. Imagine being able to walk from here to
the Farallons, keeping a watchful eye out for elephants and saber-toothed cats!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrkh-V_Km9qDqIsR0r2Vj_23XRPkT8XbhiJ8LtJztssIdgBBOtq-IG0UJfvpzqB5l9ehbtQgZsmGURg8_KnGdNn9i5TRxNovo5kiZQkfGXQ5tzmHdjz9AlNv_IiI-uT2SmmP86nDz1lU/s1600/gray-fox-klum_3720_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrkh-V_Km9qDqIsR0r2Vj_23XRPkT8XbhiJ8LtJztssIdgBBOtq-IG0UJfvpzqB5l9ehbtQgZsmGURg8_KnGdNn9i5TRxNovo5kiZQkfGXQ5tzmHdjz9AlNv_IiI-uT2SmmP86nDz1lU/s400/gray-fox-klum_3720_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Sometime after those big
mammals went extinct and the oceans grew bigger again, humans arrived,
including the Coast Miwok people. They lived here for thousands of years, sharing
the oak forests and grasslands with wolves, grizzly bear, and soaring condors.
The Miwok hunted mule deer, fished for salmon, ground up acorns, and made woven
baskets. When Europeans first arrived about 200 years ago, people from Portugal
decided to settle in this beautiful spot where they could catch salmon and farm
the land. Today, you and I are fortunate to share this place with bobcats,
skunks, and red-tailed hawks. Many others will come after us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Approaching the lights of home,
I knelt and looked Jade in the eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“The real secret of this story
is that the universe’s journey is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i>
journey. Your Mom wasn’t the only one responsible for your birth. It was your
grandmother, and, before that, your great grandmother and great great
grandmother. It was the long, unbroken chain of mammal mothers, reptile
mothers, and amphibian mothers. We also owe deep thanks to our fish mothers and
the countless other sea creatures and bacteria that gave rise to them even
further back in time. Earth Mother gave birth to the first life, and the Great
Cosmic Mother birthed the first stars. So you see, in the cosmic family tree,
from the tips of the topmost branches to the deepest roots, it’s mothers all
the way down! Without them, you and I wouldn’t be here, and neither would all
the other wondrous creatures on this planet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyg8I5d-7cNaCRLnt6MCYcQor2pXSIKvE6eIN6o8NrZOcHmrhAvS9PeXWvU3-C4GsNt2Kcb_6jxY7MnMMfdXe4zCVCy21XN1qAOSzyen8GWgvDrqS1zlBnkPVYFI3JDmp58OK5h9rmSk/s1600/Marin+Headlands+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyg8I5d-7cNaCRLnt6MCYcQor2pXSIKvE6eIN6o8NrZOcHmrhAvS9PeXWvU3-C4GsNt2Kcb_6jxY7MnMMfdXe4zCVCy21XN1qAOSzyen8GWgvDrqS1zlBnkPVYFI3JDmp58OK5h9rmSk/s400/Marin+Headlands+view.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">“Most important of all, the
journey is far from over. Every plant and animal alive today, including us, is
part of this journey, and nobody can say for sure how things are going to turn
out. So <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> can make a big difference
in the future of the universe. Pretty amazing, huh?”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jade nodded slowly, paused, and
then broke into a wide smile. “C’mon daddy,” she blurted out, now sprinting up
the stairs still gripping rock and kelp. “We’ve </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">got</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"> to tell Momma!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;"><b>Image Credits (top to bottom)</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) NASA</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) NASA</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3-5) National Geographic</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6) Author photo</span></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-64815657601440514622012-06-26T12:10:00.002-07:002012-06-28T12:15:53.441-07:00A Country of Naturalists<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Well, here we
are in yet another election year full of vitriolic demarcations of right from
left, seemingly with little overlap. Once again, the looming dangers of global
warming, failing ecosystems, and our overall unsustainabilty are lost amidst
the rhetorical din of jobs and economy (as if these were somehow distinct from
the aforementioned perils). Meanwhile, the chasm between humans and nature deepens.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Watching the
national debates unfold, I find little to be positive about. One exception
worth underlining, however, is the very fact that such divergent views can
co-occur. Most of us live as if there’s only one worldview—ours. But anyone
doubting the existence of deeply contrary perspectives need only look at the
current Republican-Democrat divide in the United States. And that’s within a
single country. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuX8e2b09XROCso_XrRHOerXzQqrJYAiE2LzXhUmQBunIt8PsVmiEJMTIc5a9rDTle_-rBNNxw9dNBFtf0op4K9h6WnjfRqzwnHHarD34OepQ7FUI4U8aWiKNzQnbowy9AkhWEXuTlXY/s1600/northern-spotted-owl_6327_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuX8e2b09XROCso_XrRHOerXzQqrJYAiE2LzXhUmQBunIt8PsVmiEJMTIc5a9rDTle_-rBNNxw9dNBFtf0op4K9h6WnjfRqzwnHHarD34OepQ7FUI4U8aWiKNzQnbowy9AkhWEXuTlXY/s400/northern-spotted-owl_6327_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">As readers of
this blog will be aware, my central concern is how we are to go about
connecting humanity with nature, with the assumption that we cannot achieve anything
approaching sustainability without a mindset that embeds us inside nature.
Living in an indoor culture obsessed with the techno-gadgetry of computers,
smartphones, and e-tablets, the notion of embedding humans within nature might
seem an impossible dream. But such a mindset is not nearly as alien as it might
first appear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Take America,
for example. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Traditionally,
the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">indigenous
peoples of this continent, and every other, were expert naturalists who formed
deep bonds with their local places.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></i>Today, native peoples continue to speak of this
close attachment, even co-identity, with their homelands [1]. In the words of
Luther Standing Bear, an Oglala Sioux:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">"The
American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains,
pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the
continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as
naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo
belonged..." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Marlowe Sam, an
Okanagan Indian, put it simply<sup> </sup>[2], “As Okanagan people, we are from
the land; we are part of it.” </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Best we can tell, this
kind of nature-centric worldview has dominated the human mind for most of our
200,000-year tenure.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ycllk7wu4ZIwgx-6jcmToumaBjl6IV43KiLTIp0v-4Aoxl_fsOdLRVaMwcP3lCb2KqVq_elnF_uod-SigDZ3vb8BVLr3G6Vj-uwO85ZwIGHj5Ds0BG5-SiA9YfMaEGNh6LUapJhruV8/s1600/cape-town-trees_10490_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ycllk7wu4ZIwgx-6jcmToumaBjl6IV43KiLTIp0v-4Aoxl_fsOdLRVaMwcP3lCb2KqVq_elnF_uod-SigDZ3vb8BVLr3G6Vj-uwO85ZwIGHj5Ds0BG5-SiA9YfMaEGNh6LUapJhruV8/s400/cape-town-trees_10490_600x450.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">European
colonists in North America, although bearing a conqueror mindset, found that
they too had to be students of nature to survive in the New World. In the
bloody wake of indigenous decimation, new generations of naturalists set out to
rediscover North America’s wonders. The 19<sup>th</sup> Century in particular
witnessed an explosion of fascination in natural history. Nuttal, Bartram,
Clark, Agassiz and others steeped in the Linnaean tradition collected and
classified legions of North American species. Birds, beetles, butterflies,
seashells, and wildflowers were favorite targets, but Cope and Marsh expanded
the scope to include fossils, competing to see who could recover the greatest
number of ancient species from the western territories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">As difficult
as it is to imagine today, even the Whitehouse was occupied by a series of
naturalists. Early in the 19<sup>th</sup> Century, Presidents Washington and
Jefferson were both ardent naturalists. Jefferson even had a prehistoric giant
ground sloth named in his honor. A century later, Theodore Roosevelt proudly
brandished the naturalist label, translating his lifelong fascination with the
outdoors into conservation of wilderness areas.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY1pq1EuE2bf1iv2_3XQ0BNrwpnlQu4DA7Kwe_8XNM8t_IYjazGfDJ1MGo6ZKZxzEC7vkKEF0Xd8AX8KBzcHFpw8Hm0VQoX1jyH1KhmeZFIprBtlKIZ_Co9Aq10lZOoAHyAGzam4V1uw/s1600/northern-lights-abercrombie_3544_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY1pq1EuE2bf1iv2_3XQ0BNrwpnlQu4DA7Kwe_8XNM8t_IYjazGfDJ1MGo6ZKZxzEC7vkKEF0Xd8AX8KBzcHFpw8Hm0VQoX1jyH1KhmeZFIprBtlKIZ_Co9Aq10lZOoAHyAGzam4V1uw/s400/northern-lights-abercrombie_3544_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">In the 1870s
and 1880s, nature fever overtook the general public, resulting in hundreds of
small natural history associations from coast to coast. Membership in these
societies surged as people relocated from countryside to towns and cities. This
public passion for nature translated into the construction of natural history
museums, both here and overseas, to house the growing collections and put them
on public display. The Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, the
Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the American Museum of Natural
History in New York, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco
are all products of this period. By the close of the 1900s, most Americans
could describe themselves as naturalists [3]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">The nature
craze continued early in the 20<sup>th</sup> Century with more clubs, more
museums, and more learning. Indeed an education was considered incomplete if
one lacked a general knowledge of local plants and animals. The chief guide for
outdoor adventuring became Anna Botsford Comstock’s 1911 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Handbook of Nature Study</i> [4]. The Old and New Testaments may have
held sway on Sundays, but Comstock’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Handbook</i>
revealed the wonders of God’s creations the remaining days of the week. With
abundant illustrations and vivid descriptions linking animals to habitats, she
introduced a generation of school children to fireflies, toads, dandelions,
clouds, rocks, and robins. Comstock’s firm belief was that experiential
education in nature should form the bedrock of education. And, while certainly
not all reached adulthood as naturalists, the practice of natural history was
highly valued, both as an amateur pastime and a professional vocation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Following
WWII, nature study took an abrupt and precipitous decline. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Amongst the contributing factors was the mounting exodus from
countryside to cityscape, further separating people from nature, as well as the
reinvention of biology as a strictly empirical science focused on genes and
molecules rather than whole organisms<sup> </sup>[5]. Field observations, the
bread and butter of natural historians, were replaced by replicable experiments
carried out in sterile laboratories. By the 1960s, natural history had become a
quaint hobby for amateurs. With landmark exceptions such as Harvard biologist
E. O. Wilson, “naturalist” was no longer a label adopted by most
self-respecting biologists. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCtWvX8g0wtrMr2oF9UNyqCKR5n6MYFAxBMv5tGxQqlJs7WzjSQlGMpfHSaJJ-pZqVUclLzpbcelBvjtv9pNr9r47Hfw0nGK7wTc2xHVvbnTqgaT04JQJ0eyRMoKKJeSePV4KIguW-ZE/s1600/smiling-girl_3613_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCtWvX8g0wtrMr2oF9UNyqCKR5n6MYFAxBMv5tGxQqlJs7WzjSQlGMpfHSaJJ-pZqVUclLzpbcelBvjtv9pNr9r47Hfw0nGK7wTc2xHVvbnTqgaT04JQJ0eyRMoKKJeSePV4KIguW-ZE/s400/smiling-girl_3613_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Nevertheless, there’s still
plenty of reason for hope. For example, you may be surprised to learn that
annual attendance at North American nature institutions—museums, botanical
gardens, aquariums, zoos, and science centers—exceeds that of professional
sporting events. And plenty of people still flock to beaches and parks on
weekends, as well as to natural wonders on vacation.</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">It’s been only two generations, well within the
lifetime of my mountain-and-forest-loving mother, since the bulk of people in
this country shared a significant link with nature. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Viewed in this way, our present mode of thinking can be considered a
recent aberration set against a lengthy history of uniting people with their
local environs. Connectedness with nature lays dormant within us, waiting to be
reawakened. We’re closer than you might think to rebuilding a country of
naturalists. But to get there, we’ll need to reverse current trends, getting
people (and especially children) back outside experiencing and learning about
local nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 3.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Nelson, M. K. (ed.). 2008. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Original
Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future</i>. Bear &
Company, Rochester; Abram, D. 1996. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Spell of the Sensuous</i>. Vintage Books, New York. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Sam, M. 2008. Ethics from the land: Traditional protocols and the maintenance
of peace. Pp. 39-41 in M. K. Nelson (ed.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Original
Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future</i>. Bear &
Company, Rochester.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Cain, V. 2012. Professor Carter’s Collection. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Common-Place</i>, 12(2): 1-20. (<a href="http://www.common-place.org/vol-12/no-02/cain/">http://www.common-place.org/vol-12/no-02/cain/</a>)
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Comstock, A. B. 1911. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Handbook of
Nature Study</i>. Comstock Publishing, New York.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;">Pyle, R. M. 2001. The Rise and Fall of Natural History. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orion Magazine</i>, 20(4):16-23.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Image Credits<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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All images from National Geographic: <a href="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/">http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/</a></div>
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<br />Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-912075360563031262012-05-30T13:02:00.002-07:002012-05-31T09:50:44.753-07:00Natural Wonders, Old and New<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It was a
week of amazing spectacles, all courtesy of Mother Nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I
returned home to California a couple of days ago after a brief, but eventful
stint hunting dinosaurs (the extinct kind) in the wilds of Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument. As I write, some of the crew is still
out there in those southern Utah badlands, but I thought I’d offer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Whirlpool of Life </i>readers a few
highlights from our spring expedition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><i>Ring of Fire: Annular Eclipse, 2012</i></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJtfeOwXo3u5evsnSSnYpOkBa4Zux2P3yZF0nA8_TAUXgm7rhzZlbWpkNiAHzwuSKOg8gAfd1hyphenhyphence74TBF-IPJHgW26qN31Js_mJ3_PLRyeVJYv-6D0x331oAXQ55CSKrWn3cTk1b99Y/s1600/article.wn.com:view:2012:05:21:Solar-Eclipse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJtfeOwXo3u5evsnSSnYpOkBa4Zux2P3yZF0nA8_TAUXgm7rhzZlbWpkNiAHzwuSKOg8gAfd1hyphenhyphence74TBF-IPJHgW26qN31Js_mJ3_PLRyeVJYv-6D0x331oAXQ55CSKrWn3cTk1b99Y/s320/article.wn.com:view:2012:05:21:Solar-Eclipse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The week
began in spectacular fashion, with no less than an eclipse of our nearby
stellar neighbor. After flying from San Francisco to Las Vegas, I drove my
rental 4X4 about four and half hours to the north-central part of Grand
Staircase near the small town of Cannonville. Passing through Bryce Canyon, I
saw dozens of people setting up telescopes and cameras by the side of the road.
No time to waste.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">After
fixing a surprise flat tire, I made my way out to the meeting spot—a beautiful
double sandstone arch known as Grosvenor Arch. There I met with rocket engineer
and paleontology volunteer Phil Policelli, with whom I viewed an annular
eclipse. Most people are familiar with total eclipses, in which the moon blocks
out the entire disk of the sun, turning day to night. An annular eclipse occurs
when the lunar disk blocks only the center of the sun, leaving a glowing
ring—the annulus, or “ring of fire”—around the silhouette of the moon. Safe
viewing requires proper tinted glasses, which thankfully Phil had on hand. It
was a magical event, as the sunny afternoon turned briefly to twilight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Loading the nets with gear for the helicopter airlift.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X2Mkuey_uR229NgLtywOlaM4nDfm-YfdnBqn8b3KBv89Htmpe5iJZOTn_1YBZ1uqnJUIV7x9k86ERdvoUTBpQCkSh4l8cJWCx6OAGCO6Acm-NU08pK0z6CvWuvNPNFsyV4uzPezXpoQ/s1600/Helicopter+on+Ground.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X2Mkuey_uR229NgLtywOlaM4nDfm-YfdnBqn8b3KBv89Htmpe5iJZOTn_1YBZ1uqnJUIV7x9k86ERdvoUTBpQCkSh4l8cJWCx6OAGCO6Acm-NU08pK0z6CvWuvNPNFsyV4uzPezXpoQ/s400/Helicopter+on+Ground.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
Other crewmembers came in later that evening. We camped overnight at Grosvenor
Arch and arose the next morning to begin preparations for the helicopter
airlift. A “heli-tac” crew arrived and began setting out nets to carry our
gear. We weighed the various items—including water barrels, plaster, kitchen
items, food, jackhammer, and personal gear—and spread them out among the nets.
In total, seven helicopter trips to the remote campsite would be required. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>The Kaiparowits Formation, aerial view</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFzQ-3VMU-RGa65MweRzfS2TwZCVefZ6YqlwdpRs2MZoY1yD8oYMbsPlkde-PG2XbSYEavCa-JBOKCa4WuF_yoKGQaHyq33ruwtd8z8BdJUveMLigyXeY4aJvTF19yU-39QwHeMJt4bQ/s1600/Badlands+from+Heli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFzQ-3VMU-RGa65MweRzfS2TwZCVefZ6YqlwdpRs2MZoY1yD8oYMbsPlkde-PG2XbSYEavCa-JBOKCa4WuF_yoKGQaHyq33ruwtd8z8BdJUveMLigyXeY4aJvTF19yU-39QwHeMJt4bQ/s400/Badlands+from+Heli.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I was fortunate
enough to ride onboard the first trip. What would normally take almost two
hours of challenging off-road driving plus another hour of hiking was navigated in a
mere five minutes by helicopter. Fortunately, we had a little trouble locating
the campsite, forcing us to make a few stunning circles over the rugged,
gray-banded terrain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Most
expedition members—including crews from the Natural History Museum of Utah, the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Monument—hiked into camp. Over the
course of the week, in addition to prospecting for new sites, we concentrated
efforts on five quarries, four of which were discovered and opened last year. One
site preserves remains of a crested duck-billed hadrosaur, or lambeosaur. Another
features fossils of the horned dinosaur <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kosmoceratops</i>.
Yet another is producing bones of an as-yet unnamed giant crocodile. And the fourth
is yielding beautifully preserved leaf fossils. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A fifth
quarry, found during the week by Monument Paleontologist Alan Titus when he
headed over a hill to relieve himself, was another duck-billed hadrosaur—this
one a juvenile with abundant skin impressions. (The site may have been found independently last year by University of Utah student Katherine [Kat] Clayton and rediscovered by Titus, an
invertebrate specialist who has become an ace dinosaur finder.) Alan and I
spent three windy, but highly enjoyable days at the site, uncovering much of
the skeleton. When I departed, we had not yet determined if the skull was present,
but the bones are trending the right direction into the hill, so our fingers
are crossed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Monument Paleontologist Alan Titus with juvenile hadrosaur skeleton</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJ4JYe9qPoHuJI1OTaMx397EqmYZMD1OHMnFVrYgVJqL0g6W3MbTRZbyR7nPq7n6YGdRBxsxgIP3Q7FVYJKX7PyAMQwG4Uuaol74N8hAKnVTLDDWwttcFd8pd-wbpXQjB3s82145C064/s1600/Titus+at+Hadro+Quarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJ4JYe9qPoHuJI1OTaMx397EqmYZMD1OHMnFVrYgVJqL0g6W3MbTRZbyR7nPq7n6YGdRBxsxgIP3Q7FVYJKX7PyAMQwG4Uuaol74N8hAKnVTLDDWwttcFd8pd-wbpXQjB3s82145C064/s400/Titus+at+Hadro+Quarry.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We had
cached some equipment and supplies over-winter at the lambeosaur quarry, and
were surprised to find the cache ripped apart. A brief inspection revealed that
a black bear was the culprit—perhaps a rowdy young male coming down from higher
elevations in search of food. Despite more than a decade working in the area,
for us this event was a Grand Staircase first. I’m afraid that that, other than
some water, the bear did not find much to his liking. Together with the torn
plastic water bottles, there was a (previously full) plastic gas container, now
bearing multiple tooth punctures. And a bag of plaster was ripped open and
dragged around the site, leaving an erratic alabaster trail. The event had
occurred recently, as evidenced by the fresh plaster. And the bear left a
calling card in the form of a large pile of feces. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The week
also yielded some ancient feces, or “coprolites.” Small coprolites, usually
attributed to crocodiles, are relatively common finds in the Kaiparowits
Formation, but we had not found any clear evidence of dinosaur dung. It was
Denver Museum paleobotanist Ian Miller who made the discovery. While out
prospecting one day, Ian called me over to look at something strange—a large,
isolated mass of convoluted black rock unlike anything else in the area. Ian
speculated that it might be dinosaur coprolite and, having seen examples many
years before in Montana, I realized that he was likely correct. We could see
plenty of organic debris inside the irregular chunks of rock, and even some tunnel-like
openings that may be dung beetle burrows. We will pass some samples onto the
“Queen of Coprolites”, Karen Chin, at the University of Colorado, to nail down
the identification. If we’re correct, Ian has discovered one of the largest
known piles of dino poop!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Under
Ian’s capable direction, we’re also getting a refined sense of the plants that
lived alongside these dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles and other creatures about
76 million years ago. This week, Ian’s crew collected hundreds of leaves from a
single quarry, which will join thousands of others in the collections of the
Denver Museum. Many of these leaves show evidence of insect damage, and we plan
to undertake a study of these specimens to find out what kinds of insects were
present. At another location, Ian and his Denver colleague, vertebrate
paleontologist Joe Sertich, showed me a fossilized forest floor revealed in a
river cutbank. Remarkably, ferns and other plants can be seen still standing
vertically, preserved where they were buried by flooding sediments millions of
years ago. We look forward to working up this site in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Graduate student Joshua Lively with new turtle discovery</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4tKYGNdqzAzbXycAToTEzQsytuRpNu9fJrdTyjGO9HSL8kNgzma32ZnUR9zsFxqFPjQcCmCT_OI1hzPun_rEmASBM9rXSAwZ-BUdreZcaVaT8nHvEd6El0ns1DEMPQQ7wCufcOPYRzI/s1600/Lively+with+Turtle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4tKYGNdqzAzbXycAToTEzQsytuRpNu9fJrdTyjGO9HSL8kNgzma32ZnUR9zsFxqFPjQcCmCT_OI1hzPun_rEmASBM9rXSAwZ-BUdreZcaVaT8nHvEd6El0ns1DEMPQQ7wCufcOPYRzI/s400/Lively+with+Turtle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Back at
the lambeosaur quarry, additional work yielded more bones of this giant crested
hadrosaur. No skull yet, but we are hopeful here as well. In addition, while
removing some of the overlying rock, University of Utah graduate student Jelle
Wiersma uncovered a huge turtle shell, measuring about 80 cm in length. Turtle
expert Josh Lively was on hand to make the excited identification—an unnamed
species of the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neurankylus</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">All in
all it was an amazing week, and we were blessed for the most part with sunny skies. The persistent
high winds, although a nuisance at times, kept the gnats down—an even greater
blessing. Other natural wonders included assorted wildflowers, spectacular
night skies, and an afternoon visit to camp from a young rattlesnake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Badlands view from camp</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was the last major region of the
lower 48 states to be mapped, and for good reason. Today, this roughhewn and cliff strewn landscape is one of
the last largely unexplored boneyards from the Age of Dinosaurs. We are
fortunate to be among the first to unearth its many wonders. To date, more than two dozen new dinosaurs have been recovered from these rocks, along with fishes, amphibians, turtles, lizards, crocodiles, mammals, birds, plants, and other organisms [1]. I'll provide
more updates in future posts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> References</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sampson, S. D. 2012. Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scientific American</i>, March, 2012: 40-47.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Images</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Annular eclipse image: http://article.wn.com/view/2012/05/21/Solar_Eclipse_2012_Annular_Eclipse_Makes_Ring_of_Fire/ </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">All other images by the author.</span></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-6863948585461573872012-05-04T13:36:00.000-07:002012-05-04T22:37:19.566-07:00Wilding the Mind<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am very fortunate to live in the San Francisco
Bay region of northern California. When not traveling, I head out several times
a week and hike up into the hilly Marin Headlands, an extensive protected area
that few would hesitate to call “nature.” The evergreen shrubs and patchy
grasslands afford spectacular coastal vistas and erupt into a kaleidoscope of
wildflowers come springtime. The plentiful animal spottings include red-tailed
hawks, coyote, alligator lizards, quail, mule deer, rough-skinned newts, gray
fox, monarch butterflies, ravens, and even the rare gray whale spout.
Occasionally I’m startled by the last-second exit of a slithering garter snake
or a bounding rabbit. Bobcats, in contrast, not infrequently sit a few feet off
the trail, observing me in that classic disinterested feline manner as I stroll
past. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxAl8sJSy93gi2H7BWmbPb6enq_mFZOReMudeqn7hSVhAyvqxruqtgIXjYDsSsFz8lt93qqUNj3HinmyQAqUjk40Zujxcmn-Z_UUHZqItOcn_k83ULF7hunPb4HYBWWY7KPSdxVd5oDk/s1600/IMG_0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxAl8sJSy93gi2H7BWmbPb6enq_mFZOReMudeqn7hSVhAyvqxruqtgIXjYDsSsFz8lt93qqUNj3HinmyQAqUjk40Zujxcmn-Z_UUHZqItOcn_k83ULF7hunPb4HYBWWY7KPSdxVd5oDk/s400/IMG_0814.JPG" width="400" /></a><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here, the greatest threats to human life and limb
are tics and poison oak, or perhaps a sprained ankle. I’m told that mountain
lions still visit the headlands once in a blue moon, but in six years I have
yet to glimpse one. (Oh how I would love to see a mountain lion.) Encounters
with other humans, although more common than deer sightings, are sufficiently
infrequent that I feel I have escaped the anthropocentric world, at least for
awhile. In short, my bipedal excursions into the hills come close to
epitomizing the idyllic image of a nature outing—a gorgeous setting that
replenishes body, mind, and spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet, were I to have hiked in this same place 150
years ago—a span of only two human lifetimes—the experience would have been
vastly different. It’s for good reason that California’s state animal is the
grizzly bear. For thousands of years, local indigenous peoples lived (and
occasionally died) under the daily threat of grizzlies. Bears were still a
dominant force when Europeans arrived. In 1602, the Spanish maritime explorer
Sebastián Vizcaíno elected not to land at certain points along the California
coast because of the sheer numbers of these giant carnivores. As European
settlements expanded in the ensuing centuries, the golden bears stood fast,
killing livestock and wreaking havoc with the settlers. Somewhat ironically,
given their name, gold was the bears’ ultimate undoing. Within 75 years of the
discovery of this precious metal in California—a single human lifetime—the
state’s grizzlies were wiped out, the final one in 1922. The last known human
Californian to die in a grizzly attack was lumber mill owner William Waddell,
in 1875. A creek in Big Basin Redwoods State Park still bears his name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudinzU6Hya86NiVwPn_IelJHQI3uvoCFdAJBSrE-Dgjenwdw1S7mtl7OLvY2jF-SfQGFrmcW9Qymgc9oHWw3c3Yeu_exrKo2Y1cPZv8BfOz1T71oQLMWa77SSzwrtf4iZvMuogwnYRv0/s1600/IMG_0820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudinzU6Hya86NiVwPn_IelJHQI3uvoCFdAJBSrE-Dgjenwdw1S7mtl7OLvY2jF-SfQGFrmcW9Qymgc9oHWw3c3Yeu_exrKo2Y1cPZv8BfOz1T71oQLMWa77SSzwrtf4iZvMuogwnYRv0/s400/IMG_0820.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Often as I hike the trails near my home, I imagine
how I would feel if there were a real chance of running into a
grizzly—or wolves, which also lived here. Would I react differently to those
rustling bushes? Would I pay greater attention to my surroundings? Would my
sense of calm and relaxation be marred by that ever-present possibility of
becoming an animal’s next meal? I’m quite certain that the answer would be yes
for all of the above. Having spent a significant amount of time searching for
fossils in the wilds of sub-Saharan Africa, sometimes in places where big
carnivores like lions, leopards, and hyenas still roam, I can attest to the
spectrum of emotions experienced when one is a potential link in the food
chain. Living in cities devoid of big carnivores, we forget that people
throughout almost all of human history have dealt with animal threats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When our kind first arrived in the northern
California area around 13,000 years ago—only 175 human lifetimes—they
discovered a landscape more closely akin to the modern Serengeti than to
present-day San Francisco. This was the tail end of the Pleistocene, the waning
stages of the most recent Ice Age. The region was home to a bewildering array
of impressive creatures: mammoths and mastodons, giant ground sloths and
camels, broad-horned bison and condors, saber-toothed cats and dire wolves,
American lions and short-faced bears. Of this mega-mammal menagerie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Arctodus</i>, the short-faced bear, may have
been the greatest terror. Weighing about 2,000 pounds and perhaps 13 feet tall
when standing on its hind legs, this massive carnivore would have dwarfed a
grizzly. And unlike modern bears, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Arctodus</i>
was long-legged, built for speed. Imagine rounding the corner on a trail to
find yourself face to face with such a creature! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFYcAF4gvwi34xK2KWc3hvNZo8M_6K_boHuBH6pdv22HFW9pyqbnJBCl4BqE8huO3PHT-fcj7KM_HZIR2uI_1skcmJjuQgDbBEKk0Q5JdVvCk1KkwRHnZCiqGsDdGLtb-P8_XxdGtykI/s1600/IMG_0811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFYcAF4gvwi34xK2KWc3hvNZo8M_6K_boHuBH6pdv22HFW9pyqbnJBCl4BqE8huO3PHT-fcj7KM_HZIR2uI_1skcmJjuQgDbBEKk0Q5JdVvCk1KkwRHnZCiqGsDdGLtb-P8_XxdGtykI/s400/IMG_0811.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">California is not special in this regard. Wherever
you live, you can be certain that an abundance of huge animals roamed in the
not too distant past—a duration measured in centuries rather than millennia.
Rarely do we consider the fact that we inhabit a biological anomaly, an
impoverished shadow-realm in which big predators are few, prowling the fringes
of our world. For all but a few short geologic intervals during the past 250
million years (following mass extinction events), oversized carnivores have
been ever-present in the bulk of Earth’s ecosystems, both on land and in the
oceans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What happened to the wondrous Ice Age beasts in
North America and elsewhere? We killed most of them. Yes, debate still ensues
over the role of other factors, particularly climate change, but compelling
evidence points squarely at us. Humanity originated in Africa about 200,000
years ago. In a major exodus that began about 60,000 years ago, we quickly
spanned the globe, killing off most of the charismatic megafauna on every
newfound landmass, whether island or continent. More recently, armed with boats
and increasingly efficient hunting technologies, populations of whales and
other sea-going giants have been depleted more than 90%. I don’t mean to imply
that humans have never lived in harmony with their native ecosystems. They
certainly have. But usually those ecosystems have first been depleted of their
big-bodied inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCehYVmUKxhPMgKLfNiBNe9b1FzGsKl485CvtuuZwApx0KKRVBYfG5YdLoY1A6pQrtvaoyTZ5NwCsMEfLM4FPgmFMvo_GCQNO__udGZmn45-6ieCMz0C8qJ6NbykjLnZrrRO7TvwacRwE/s1600/thenaturalpatriot.org.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCehYVmUKxhPMgKLfNiBNe9b1FzGsKl485CvtuuZwApx0KKRVBYfG5YdLoY1A6pQrtvaoyTZ5NwCsMEfLM4FPgmFMvo_GCQNO__udGZmn45-6ieCMz0C8qJ6NbykjLnZrrRO7TvwacRwE/s400/thenaturalpatriot.org.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nature in its full glory is messy and dangerous, equally
worthy of joy and fear--and sometimes disgust. Parasites, maggots, and coyotes tearing apart
week-old fawns are as much a part of the natural world as towering redwoods and
soaring eagles. We humans came of age enmeshed in environments at once
awe-inspiring and danger-filled. In the sanitized West, we have progressively
lost both kinds of experiences, replacing them with a utilitarian substitute
that views nature as the ultimate big box store full of commodities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today, a growing movement seeks to reinstate that ancient sense of nature as divine, spiritual, or sublime—a sacred ground of being to
commune with. But in our earnestness to romanticize nature, we forget the fear
factor that is equally a part of our wild heritage. What have we lost by rising
to the top of the food chain and vanquishing the bulk of our competitors? What
are we missing by living apart from most wild creatures? Given that virtually every
ecosystem around the globe has been impacted by human activities, and generally
not for the better, what kind of nature is still out there, and where can we
find it? What kinds of experiences do we need to form a meaningful bond with
nature? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will explore answers to these questions in future
posts. For now, I invite you to head outside and imagine a world in which you
share the web of life with a bounty of other large creatures, some of them
toothy and meat-loving. These days I regularly engender such thoughts as I
wander through the headlands. I find that such machinations are slowly shifting
my perspective, helping me see myself as embedded within nature rather than
outside and above it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Equally if not more important are periodic visits
to wild places; places where humans are not in control, where nature is raw,
untamed, maybe even dangerous. Nighttime walks are especially effective at
awakening the senses and opening new windows of awareness. Such experiences
will foster not only a sense of awe and wonder, but humility—a sense of
something much deeper and more meaningful than our puny human-centered obsessions.
Ultimately, the human-nature connection, and perhaps even the path to
ecological sustainability, could depend on this periodic wilding of the mind.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ok, time for another hike . . .</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Image Credits</b> (From top to bottom)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Images 1-3 come from the author</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Image 4: www.thenaturalpatriot.org</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note: The above post was inspired in part by an excellent essay called
“False Idyll,” written by J. B. MacKinnon and published in the May/June issue
of </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Orion Magazine</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-4210696811598737262012-04-25T11:36:00.001-07:002012-04-26T07:42:31.424-07:00The Power of Story<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">A quick scan of today's online New York Times reveals </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the usual plethora of stories. Among them: News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch seeks to deflect allegations that he bribed British officials; Pakistan test-fires a nuclear-capable missile; ethnic biases are now shifting in South Los Angeles; and a Dartmouth frat receives a 3-term probation punishment for hazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Why do hundreds of millions of
people each day follow the news, read fiction, watch television, and line up to
sit in darkened movie theaters? In a word, stories. Carefully crafted tales
enliven our senses and capture our imaginations. Full of wonder and mystery,
they transport us to far-flung places and remote times, allowing us to see
through the eyes of another. That featured Other may be human or animal, real
or fantasy. At their best, stories are priceless word-jewels with the power to
create, sustain, and transform worlds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">In my last post, I argued that nature connection
must be founded on “the 3 Es”: ecology, evolution, and experience—that is, a
sense of how one’s place works and how that place came to be, informed by abundant,
outdoor multisensory experience. Today, I would like to focus on the second E,
evolution, which I use in the broadest sense of change over time; in short,
the history of everything, from cosmos to culture. And it is the story within
history, so to speak, that I’m most concerned with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryObYi9HVuUx7yCyWFDd6gy__gxD8GXPn4J-4QVe65eo3pmoEq5s6w_zEAXXfoRnv__yIJc1-FZAj1NkB1wsCwLcWYaFrgyCr6Nb7YG18zSO8Gf0tPz_x-SBdlPm6-GdxfvhyphenhyphenBRuCOvw/s1600/hadza-man-spotting-game_11971_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryObYi9HVuUx7yCyWFDd6gy__gxD8GXPn4J-4QVe65eo3pmoEq5s6w_zEAXXfoRnv__yIJc1-FZAj1NkB1wsCwLcWYaFrgyCr6Nb7YG18zSO8Gf0tPz_x-SBdlPm6-GdxfvhyphenhyphenBRuCOvw/s400/hadza-man-spotting-game_11971_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">My confidence in the 3 Es approach is based in part
on studies of hunter-gatherer cultures—for example, the Ache of Paraguay, the
Hadza of Tanzania, the Hiwi of Colombia and Venezuela, and the San of southern
Africa. Over 95% of humanity’s tenure has occurred in the guise of
hunter-gatherers intimately tied to their natal habitats. In addition to being
steeped in local communities—cultures, foods, and social relations—people in these
foraging societies have possessed detailed knowledge of resident plants and
animals. They have understood local rhythms—what month of the year a certain
migrating bird arrived or a particular plant could be harvested. Much of this
knowledge has borne the mark of scientific investigation, involving careful
observation, experimentation, and hypothesis testing. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Most importantly for this discussion, these peoples
(and those in many other indigenous societies) report a deep sense of
connection with the nonhuman world. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">In our
digital world deluged with shards of information, it’s easily forgotten that,
as a species, we were literally raised on rich and vibrant stories. Oral
storytelling was the primary means of sharing information for all but the past
few thousand years, an eyeblink of humanity’s tenure. For our oral ancestors,
stories were lyrical encyclopedias, repositories of practical knowledge and
wisdom accumulated over centuries, even millennia. Spoken narratives were the
cultural equivalent of genes, containers of information necessary for
perpetuating the group. It should come as no surprise, then, that stories still
have an almost magical effect on us. And whereas cyberspace is placeless,
seemingly everywhere and nowhere, oral culture is inherently local.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc6OuAPKmSa82daxmwpPRXPIxQ33H0Z4PTFFxtuFrmfEGjo5mO8Mo9EDpClETgPchHbxu0jPbDuvXJ46i3nGWEAYHEN50kBJkyv8BvcKnMCC6ud5TLPWjpy198HNkqUOwcmU7qP_MoSE/s1600/bee+%2526+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc6OuAPKmSa82daxmwpPRXPIxQ33H0Z4PTFFxtuFrmfEGjo5mO8Mo9EDpClETgPchHbxu0jPbDuvXJ46i3nGWEAYHEN50kBJkyv8BvcKnMCC6ud5TLPWjpy198HNkqUOwcmU7qP_MoSE/s400/bee+%2526+flower.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">The
oral stories of indigenous peoples tend to embody all 3 Es, fostering a
connection with local nature. They tell us where we come from and what it all
means; in other words, evolution. Passed from generation to generation, myths
and tales offer instructions on how to live in a given place: when, where,
what, and how much to hunt; how to express gratitude for a successful hunt;
which plants to seek and which to avoid; where to find water in times of
persistent drought; in other words, ecology. And traditional storytellers
convey their narratives not just with voice but with their entire bodies,
typically outdoors in a multisensory milieu, often around a campfire. In other
words, these stories offer meaningful experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">For most of human history, stories
helped us not only to live, but to dwell, both in place and time (1). Through
storytellers we learned of our kinship with other creatures and Earth itself.
We saw how the ripples of our actions have cascading effects far into the
future. For the world’s oral cultures, stories were the primary means of
connecting with the land. Local plants and animals become protagonists and
antagonists. Virtually every creature and place on the landscape—a chirping
bird, gurgling stream, or gentle breeze—became sensate and was given voice.
Once a story was learned, chance encounters with animal neighbors, or merely
walking by a local landmark, brought to mind the associated narrative and its
practical lessons (2). In this way, stories breathed life into people’s
surroundings and provided deep meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-transform: uppercase;">Most
powerful of</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> all stories are cosmologies, cultural narratives that
explain the origin and ordering of the world. Throughout human history,
virtually all cultures have been rooted to their native places by such
narratives—from Raven bringing forth the light in Haida culture to the Genesis
story of Christianity. Although the lives of present-day indigenous peoples and
most followers of religious traditions are imbued by one cosmology or another,
most of us living in Western societies today represent an historical anomaly, existing
largely without one. This lack of an origin story contributes to the dearth of
greater meaning and purpose experienced by many of us, feeding the
dysfunctional human-nature relationship at the heart of the sustainability
crisis. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwK41MK5Rp-WedO9Tziml5kPdn9427UQhBOFD-TCKSAACltIGq-u8H-Suh2dl2ZIJaCCibi_HPk2SpkUVvJq96v4xEON6fAFqcmwInCt1RjQcccedf79rSp_0r9XV3UdqiZYpCF_pNdq8/s1600/NASA_-_The_Andromeda_Galaxy,_M31,_Spyral_Galaxy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwK41MK5Rp-WedO9Tziml5kPdn9427UQhBOFD-TCKSAACltIGq-u8H-Suh2dl2ZIJaCCibi_HPk2SpkUVvJq96v4xEON6fAFqcmwInCt1RjQcccedf79rSp_0r9XV3UdqiZYpCF_pNdq8/s400/NASA_-_The_Andromeda_Galaxy,_M31,_Spyral_Galaxy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Yet </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">an astonishing and beautiful account of our deep time
evolutionary history has recently emerged within science. Evolution, it turns
out, is much more than Darwin and natural selection, encompassing no less than
the history of the Universe. Variously called the Epic of Evolution, the Great
Story, Big History, or (my preference) the Immense Story, this grand narrative
has potential to unite humanity and root us in deep time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">But wait. If, as advocated for
the 3 Es approach, ecology and evolution must be united to generate a sense of
connection, how are we to weave the Immense Story—populated by billions of
galaxies, stars, and planets—together with the delicate web of streams, rocks,
spiders, and trees in our local places? After all, the former deals with the
grandest scales of time and space, whereas the latter is concerned with the
intimate nearby. Oddly enough, this question makes sense only to Westerners.
For most indigenous peoples the world over, no dividing line exists between the
cosmic and the local; all are part of the same community, the same story. Their
cosmological sagas feature a variety of local denizens—the trickster raven, the
wise mountain, the changeling butterfly. We would do well to emulate this
approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Fortunately, potential
protagonists abound. Look no further than a sunset or a clear night sky to tell
of our close bond to the stars. A local mountain, desert, or slab of limestone
makes an exceptional entry point into the story of Earth and the solar system.
A stately oak or vegetable garden can help convey the saga of bacteria
harnessing solar energy, whereas that croaking frog in early evening is a
modern day reminder of our water-to-land legacy. A crow or robin serves as a
great vehicle for telling the story of dinosaurs to birds. And an arrowhead or
basket would make an ideal trigger for sharing the human chapter of the
evolutionary epic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLOyF_aya-ee9Om0ZEF6w2eFqeTe09L5l1C9K17l_eXceAYP3cVQzo4ZDpCmZdYBZbw4hFngejclmXiFf10SarUo5d3lXqF3-6ycPNWi9NWn3KIq4KCU8DrmD5WuRtsWgzmrnNbXKhJU/s1600/common-tern-chick_31776_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLOyF_aya-ee9Om0ZEF6w2eFqeTe09L5l1C9K17l_eXceAYP3cVQzo4ZDpCmZdYBZbw4hFngejclmXiFf10SarUo5d3lXqF3-6ycPNWi9NWn3KIq4KCU8DrmD5WuRtsWgzmrnNbXKhJU/s400/common-tern-chick_31776_990x742.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">The key is that all major
innovations of the cosmic evolutionary epic—stars, planets, bacteria, plants,
animals, and human culture—are still present in one form or another in every
place. Each telling of the Immense Story, or parts of it, can be tailored not
only to local nature, but to the age and knowledge base of the audience. Indeed
anyone can construct their own version of the story, choosing local characters
and themes most meaningful to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">The
story of everything can be told anywhere. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Carl Sagan had it right. We are
star-stuff, made of matter forged within stellar furnaces. But the real
story—the Immense Story—goes much deeper. We’re also Earth-stuff, composed of
the same matter that comprises our planet’s crust. And we’re Life-stuff too,
every one of our human cells the product of ancient bacterial mergers. You and
all other animals exist today because of a deep time cascade of ever-more
complex mergings, each one dependent on its predecessor: atoms combining to
form heavier elements; heavy elements bonding to make chemical compounds;
compounds meshing in symphonic harmony to create bacterial cells; cells lacking
nuclei coalescing into nucleated cells; and nucleated cells uniting into
multicellular life. This repetitive pattern of emergent unfolding is well
defined. Sea stars could not have preceded bacteria, nor could there have been
water prior to oxygen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Although certainly a creation
story, the evolutionary epic is not a true cultural cosmology. Instead this
science-based saga imparts a framework to be molded into a spectrum of
cosmologies, each one informed by specific historical, cultural, spiritual, and
ecological contexts. Indeed the Immense Story allows for an endless medley of
interpretations and beliefs, with and without God(s). </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme have argued persuasively that
this story must become a central element in re-defining the human-nature
relationship (3). Yet, decades later, the Immense Story remains all but absent
from Western culture, ignored by scientists, philosophers, educators,
environmentalists, and spiritual practitioners alike. How can it be that we,
who have access to by far the most rigorous and comprehensive story of the
cosmos, do not use it to inform the arc of our lives?</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">The
bottom line here is that connecting kids to nature isn’t only about getting
them outside. We need to re-nature our minds as well as our environments. Once
in awhile, put </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">aside the storybooks and renew the sensuous art
of storytelling using your whole body together with your voice. Ground some of
these stories in local nature. Where did those fir trees come from, and why are
they so tall? Who are the denizens of the local pond, and how long have they
been there? Why did coyotes and rabbits survive the last Ice Age while mammoths
and saber-toothed cats disappeared? Your local natural history museums or
nature center will likely be happy to provide the necessary information.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTqF2OZLXTzFFYAWhPv-yTflixhFqtCPiyaXj3JGGRrYYk0MsGHJs4VYOIEsgsb0rVNcQ1tpHN_VIWRv2HdrULrqlFOv3GrhOaaFkO9xbDFJhTVnK3-IGmnoyP36CNBWQnNpFJoTT0dU/s1600/noteandpoint.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTqF2OZLXTzFFYAWhPv-yTflixhFqtCPiyaXj3JGGRrYYk0MsGHJs4VYOIEsgsb0rVNcQ1tpHN_VIWRv2HdrULrqlFOv3GrhOaaFkO9xbDFJhTVnK3-IGmnoyP36CNBWQnNpFJoTT0dU/s400/noteandpoint.com.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Learn the basics of the Immense
Story, and tell it to the children in your life—preferably around a campfire
(“A very long, long, long, long time ago . . .”). Bring the Immense Story alive
by rooting it in the natural history of local characters—for example plants,
animals, streams, and hills. If the whole story seems too daunting, break it up
into shorter narratives (4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Educators, think about ways to
insert the Immense Story into the core of the curriculum, combining it with
ecology to scaffold learning. The all-encompassing epic of evolution makes a
wonderful context for teaching science, starting with the big idea and hooking on
new concepts as they’re encountered. Consider having students spend part of the
school year working as a team to explore the geological, biological, and
cultural history of the local town or region and then write their own story.
Perhaps let them decide to how to convey that narrative, maybe in the form of a
play, video, website, or walking guide for the community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">It’s time to restory the places
we call home and, in doing so, forge meaningful connections with those places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Sanders,
S. R. 1997. Most Human Art. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Georgia
Review/Utne Reader</i>. September/October, 1997.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span>Abram,
D. 2011. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Storytelling and Wonder: On the
Rejuvenation of Oral Culture.</i> <a href="http://www.wildethics.org/essays/storytelling_and_wonder.html">http://www.wildethics.org/essays/storytelling_and_wonder.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Berry, T. 1990. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dream of the Earth</i>. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco; Swimme,
B. and T. Berry. 1992. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Universe
Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to Ecozoic Era</i>. Harper Collins,
New York.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;">A series of books by Jennifer Morgan tell the
Immense Story in kid-friendly fashion. The first is: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story</i> (Dawn
Publications, 2002)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 150%;">Image
Credits (from top to bottom)</span></b></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1, 2, 4. Derived from National Geographic: <a href="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/">http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Derived from NASA</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. www.noteandpoint.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-88920705232905919612012-04-19T11:52:00.018-07:002012-04-19T19:53:41.664-07:00The 3 Es of Nature Connection<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">In just the past couple of weeks, the children-in-nature crisis has been featured in the<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/nature-deficit-disorder/"> New York Times</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bird-school-20120416,0,2699765,print.story">the LA Times</a>, and on the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17495032">BBC wireservice</a>. Driven by the heroic work of <a href="http://richardlouv.com/">Richard Louv</a>, the <a href="http://www.childrenandnature.org/">Children & Nature Network</a>, and many others, high profile media coverage is getting the word out. Childhood in this country is dysfunctional, even broken—and so too is our society. Rampant obesity, attention deficit disorder, and diabetes; depression, skyrocketing school dropout, and ever-diminishing environmental conditions; these and other interlinked problems threaten both our children and the places they live. At stake, some say, is the persistence of humanity. Drunk on technology with the <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">pedal to the metal, we race toward the precipice with our heads down, texting.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Although connecting children w</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">ith nature is certainly no panacea for the world’s ills, it may be the closest thing we’ve got. <span>The </span><span>freefalling biosphere is not, first and foremost, an external crisis of environment, but </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span>an internal crisis of mind. Our dominant worldview sees n</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span>ature as resources to be exploited rather than relatives worthy of respect. Sustainability—humanity living in a mutually enhancing relationship with the rest of nature—dema</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span>nds that we adopt a strong sense of compassion for the nonhuman world. </span><span style="Times New Roman"">As </span></span><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:georgia;">biologist Stephen J. Gould once claimed, “We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forgi</span><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:georgia;">ng an emotional bond between ourselves and natur</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span style="font-family:georgia;">e—for we will not fight to save </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">what we do not love.”(1)</span></span></span></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI1brvHL1QYy55RxdhZiM6cP9kF8fwGfznGaSXi6oJoLNUfbUdWkXYaAgrqifW8ze-tUg7ut_RmYDltQG0Rcm87FOhUsBXUspagMG8xf9F5_Iraq8_PBjyH1SBqdi5NskIwua8f6QL7Y/s320/DSCN0103.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733197501440989730" /><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span style="Times New Roman"">Yet a fundamental question remains. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">How exactly do people form a meaningful, lifelong connection with nature? </i>Critical subsidiary questions include: What kinds of knowledge and experience are most effective in building this connection? How does the process change as children grow? What is the role of adult mentors, and digital technologies? How can we engage kids, with their ever-shrinking attention spans, in the slow pace of nature? What kinds of nature—from television documentaries to city parks to wilderness trips—are most effective in fostering lasting connections? </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Although the science of nature connection is in its infancy, a clear signal is emerging. A bond with the natural world does not explode into one’s consciousness in an “Aha!” moment </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">or a sudden wash of emotion. Nor is it the product of learning a list of facts, like the rules of algebra or grammar. Instead, a meaningful connection with nature <span>arises organically over many years, the result of a spiraling loop of positive feedback that interweaves affective ex</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">perience with intellectual understanding.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Traditionally, the strong place-bond experienced by hunter-gatherers and many other indigenous peoples has been rooted in an immersion within local nature. So how are we 21<sup>st</sup> Century urbanites—separated from local landscapes by concrete, air-conditioning, and p</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">ackaged foods—supposed to establish a deep sense of attachment with the natural world? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">After years of research, consternation, and direct parental experience, I have come to the conclusion that the process of nature connection should be grounded in a trio of key ingredients: experience, ecology, and evolution—<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3448419258753">the “3 Es.</a>” That is, a meaningful bond with nature requires abundant, multisensory experience outdoors together with a deep understanding of how that place works (ecology) and how it came to be (evolution). I invoke the latter pair of E-words words advisedly, knowing that both are burdened with connotational baggage. So let me explain briefly.</span></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_rSDLS2NmJaZRCQg-jwGaMLgY0QeThd6aJc-EWlOg0srxvMcnYBqKzjiU3TSGNRWuVf-7nYALlS_4OJ3nrBUqnJDgQHsdsM1y_JQRPMnebD_VR-wxzeowQODnu3M0FB-pRHXzN3wYO4/s400/trailspace.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733192542352949922" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Ecology is used here in its most expansive sense—the study of relationships betwee</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">n organisms and environments. To be ecologically literate, or “ecoliterate”(2), means to understa</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">nd something of how your place works. Where do your food, water, and energy come from? Where do your garbage and sewage end up? What are some of the plants and animals native to your region, and how do they interact? What are the major weather patterns, and how do they shift throughout the year? What does the local ecosystem need to thrive?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Similarly, evolution, regarded broadly as change over time, encompasses nothing less than the “Immense Story,” the cosmic, biological, and cultural epic stretching from the Big Bang to this very moment. To be evolution literate, or “evoliterate”(3), means to know something of the story of your place and your role within that story. How did the land form? What kinds of plants and animals lived here in past ages, and which are locally represented by fossils? Of the plants living in your area today, which are considered native, as opposed to invasive newcomers? Who were the first indigenous peoples to call this place home, an</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">d how did they make a living? When did Europeans arrive, and what kinds of commerce was this place built upon? As Thomas Berry eloquently told us for decades (4), <i>we need a story</i>. (An earlier blog post of this topic can be found <a href="http://scottsampson.blogspot.com/2010/05/re-defining-e-word.html">here</a>.)</span></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Whereas ecology is concerned with the workings of a place at a given snapshot in time, evolution provides the story of that place through time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszfK2h5YAnBGzs321-A9W8VVD8pxndwKHZXOb0RLKEO6hLXB_FTzwpepa8i1uUsdtImXVEd2-yrB6_dxXggrunsos6YZZX50jCrl8gF0TOKdk6Cw6Kx4IUEOUF3Pd1l-Xm9cKCNmw7Gk/s400/maldives-sea-star_9407_600x450.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733188579956754210" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The final E-word, experience, rounds out the trio. A meaningful connection with nature is forged first and foremost on experiences, from abundant unstructured time in the backyard to weekends in the park and occasional visits to wild places. We need intimate contact with the denizens and landscapes of our local places. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Yet education too must be experiential, in and out of the classroom. <span style="Times New Roman"">Scientific ideas are far more memorable and meaningful when we perceive and reflect upon them directly with multiple senses. A deep understanding of nature </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span>must be absorbed through our eyes, ears, nose, and pores, as well as our minds. Above all, we need to engage children in natural settings. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Aided by storytelling and other dynamic communication approaches, experiential learning offers the most effective means of communicating big scientific ideas like those embodied by ecology and evolution.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Education’s traditional emphasis on the “3 Rs” of Reading, (W)riting, and (A)ri</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">thmetic has provided students with essential tools useful in a range of situations. Yet if children are isolated from nonhuman nature by four-walled classrooms and homes, they miss the meaning and beauty of changing seasons, of birdsong and rainstorms. They ignore the ugliness of the built environment, and remain blind to deteriorating environments. For most of us, education has little relevance to our day-to-day lives beyond the self-serving hope that we will one day become wealthy, or at least earn enough for “the good life.”</span></span></p></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Together with the 3 Rs, then, education should include liberal doses of the 3 Es. <span style=" Times New Roman"">Rather than tools, think of ecology, evolution, and experience as a robust scaffold for building knowledge. The horizontal bars in this metaphor are ecological connections, how the place works. The vertical bars are the unified evolutionary story of local nature and culture. And the scaffold’s nodes, the intersections where horizontal and vertical bars meet, can be envisioned as firsthand experiences. Experience is the X-factor, the secret ingredient that synthesiz</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">es ecology and evolution, making this knowledge immediate, alive, and engaging. United, the 3 Es provide a grand context for understanding the world, a framework of big ideas upon which additional knowledge can be added for a lifetime. To be connected to nature, then, is to expand one’s awareness and become native to place.</span></span></p><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQYw4_g3rsZrH4a12JDZELkervFN23-8jOBmXpg5Vs_liSA_77x25PXjDKlmEbITdBGzOj_1SlFooIMUZUNbZSQa-aZ2JmMyFd_rSjrfGes-oE6EjgbdTeqyg90cvGLzsNTWDms6tLCw/s400/DSCN1692.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733186954712610130" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">But how are we to bring about this place-based revolution? What can we do as individuals to transform the children-in-nature movement from a grassroots effort to a tsunami of cultural change? Plenty.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;">Parents and educators can begin the process of taking back the outdoors, making it a commitment to give kids abundant time in nature. The growing numbers of <a href="http://www.childrenandnature.org/directory/clubs/">family nature clubs</a> can aid in this transition. Educators can connect kids with local nature by embedding the 3 Es in the core of the curriculum. We desperately need more research from neuroscientists, psychologists and educators on how best to foster nature connection. Those with extra funds can support these efforts, and those with influence can forge productive connections. All of us, from parents to city planners, can work toward augmenting the green spaces in our lives—adding native plants to backyards, schoolyards, and city parks. We can all learn more about the places we live, including the stories that give our homes deeper meaning. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Sound like a pipe dream? Maybe, but some dreams come true, and this one has necessity at its back.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">1. Gould, S. J. 1993. Unenchanted evening. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History. </i>Norton, New York.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(quotation, p. 40)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">2.Stone, M. K. and Z. Barlow (eds.). 2005. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ecological Literacy: <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Educating our Children for a Sustainable World</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">. University of California Press, Berkeley.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">3. Sampson, S. D. 2006. Evoliteracy. Pp. 216-231 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in</i> J. Brockman (ed.), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Intelligent Thought</i>: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Science Versus the Intelligent Design Movement</i>. Knopf, New York.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">4. Berry, T. 1999. <i>The Great Work: Our Way into the Future</i>. Bell Tower, New York.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><b>Image Credits </b>(top to bottom)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Images 1 & 4. Scott Sampson</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Image 2. Trailspace.com </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Image 3. National Geographic Photography: <a href="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/">http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/</a></span></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div></div></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-66981870721144233382012-03-13T17:41:00.031-07:002012-04-03T07:31:05.480-07:00A Bootfull of Pollywogs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Sunshine and springtime were rare bedfellows where I grew up. One day when I was four, my mother took me into the forest a few blocks from home. She had heard that the “Frog Pond," as it was known, was brimming with tadpoles. Cinching the deal that fateful day were scattered, caressing rays of sun.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--></span></span><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFClLccQBx_EcrYVQV6LW75BDkr5ufTpEKqYvNAYgHvU1IGZ1_iusywTDx2VEKDAcsZh-C_u9jo6iBsQEoE9Y28KHzlN4VLUVltTPu5N0UyjxGewA7xPdgAO0jYFdz03N_dJgcV78n18/s400/justlist-it.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719548300203571154" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">After the short forest walk, I ran excitedly to the water’s edge and squatted down, staring intently. It took me a few moments to grasp the fact that each of the frenetic black blobs was a distinct life form. Wearing tall, black r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">ubber boots, I stepped tentatively into the pond, captivated by the larval swarm. Bending over, I scooped up several with my hands to get a closer look. Bulging eyes, blob-like bodies, and long, slimy, tran</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">sparent tails working madly against my fingers.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Captivated, I inched my way out further until, suddenly, the water overtopped one of my boots. I gasped at the chill now engulfing my foot. (Many years later, my mother told me that she started to object but thought better of it.) I hesitated briefly, imagining the tadpoles now darting around inside my boot, and then took another willful step into the muck. The second boot was now flooded.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">I was in it now, sharing this pond-universe with thousands of frogs-to-be. Stepping gingerly so as to avoid any inadvertent amphibicide, I eventually found myself at the pond’s center, the water slightly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">above waist level. The sense of wonder and the smile across my face grew in tandem as I picked up handful after handful of squirming tadpoles. Immersed in that miniature sea of pollywogs, I felt, perhaps for the first time in my life, a deep and ecstatic sense of oneness with the world.</span></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNCQU4weKbfcTo4vi5HcYaRXIovirjfSOc6z33C8O77W79zdsM_OGhHE7tglCyRBPbiEWXYmlLgbzexKlvkBXNp4thaq1LtfhTnTbiQUkPtYwVvckj_dt-R9TqUgFNKaY0lONFceCb1U/s400/panoramio.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719548641407039554" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Through the late 1960s and 1970s, I escaped into that forest on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia whenever possible, usually in the company of my friend Tim (TJ). Our local elementary school backed up against the forest, and the administrators established an “Adventure Playground” amidst a stand of hemlock, cedar, and Douglas fir abutting one of the playing fields. At recess and lunch, we would sprint for this natural wonderland, where a giant overturned cedar stump became cave, castle, and space ship.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><!--EndFragment--> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">As teenagers, the boundaries of our forest excursions expanded exponentially as we discovered the full, 2000-acre extent of the “University Endowment Lands,” more recently dubbed "Pacific Spirit Regional Park." (For us, it was simply “the woods.”) Canine companions joined us for this phase. I had a German shepherd named Rocky and Tim had Raisin, a poodle-Siberian husky mix that resembled a four-legged ball of steel wool. (When asked about the breed, TJ would offer the same straight-faced reply: “Purebred Pooberian.”)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">Vision is the least intimate of human senses. In the forest, Tim and I were embraced by the sweet, almost citrusy fragrance of Douglas fir; the thick, moist air of late fall that turned breath visible; the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">deep qworking of ravens perched high on cedar boughs; and the tangy sumptuousness of fresh-picked huckleberries. This multisensory milieu offered a safe place, a cocoon within the world, for adolescent males to talk out their social angst and ponder the future. Needless to say, the dogs loved it too, relishing the endless array of textures and scents. As we explored more and more trails—with names like Sasamat, Hemlock, a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">nd Salish—we had no idea that this place was imprinting on our hearts and minds, that our pores were soaking up every moment.</span></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHY02BmhcteI4K92_pg_z5Vvu-2ugr3RMloU_Sg1s7UbUZQIcDPyjE8NSF30XTRQg7gjmlwZp2_ngefUl4X06-PsjTM2ZpqBvjnSUXwU4bY0tbXdYvRER989d8ioIld6gyPNNOg8SsIE/s400/digitallery.blogspot.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719548082681924626" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">Often we avoided trails entirely, preferring to bushwhack through the dense coastal foliage, clambering over rotting logs and navigating rock-strewn streams thick with skunk cabbage, nettles, </span>salal, and ferns. On these meandering excursions, the forest took on a wild and unpredictable flavor, with amazing discoveries possible at any moment: teeming ant colonies; deep and murky ponds shaped like Japanese soaking tubs; raucous, foul-smelling bird rookeries; and humongous stumps, old growth ghosts. Hour<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">s later, humans and canines alike emerged from the forest filthy, exhausted, and exhilarated.</span></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">After a big winter snowfall (also a rare occurrence), the forest was transformed yet again. Blinding whiteness blanketed every branch, twig, and needle. A deep, cathedral-like silence settled over our ref</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">uge. With light hearts, we crunched through the heavy snow, stopping occasionally to lounge in the bare zone beneath one of the bigger trees.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">In our mid teenage years, testosterone overdoses manifested in the forest as a risky game du</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">bb</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">ed “Deelo Wars.” A deelo (etymology uncertain) was any piece of wood that you could heft at someone else. In essence the strategy amounted to abandoning the cover of tree or bush just long enough to fling large sticks at several of your closest friends. Of course, they were busy doing the same—every man for himself. All of us sustained a few direct </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">hits, but I’m happy to report that no serious injuries resulted. (And no, I don’t recommend trying this at home!)</span></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8v_LVLqsB0lZle0WJe9BKEsJ7OZB_wc8z6FfjcCOSe9ryJYOw4_nA7TUuqkn4qBIdcg0nvsN-Xn1T6EVsW_fl-pKcmLQUvu_kSY-Fnei-tHxhxaVMOworLgcU7AvD97bi1fD69ZaRPw4/s400/Digitallery.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719547886227059122" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">I departed Vancouver in the mid 1980s to attend graduate school in Toronto, eventually earning a Ph.D. and becoming a dinosaur paleontologist. Tim, meanwhile, headed off to become an airline pilot. In the decades since, I’ve been fortunate enough to search for fossils in such far-flung locales as Zimbabwe, Mexico, and Madagascar. Cumulatively, I’ve spent years living in tents in remote places that most people refer to as “badlands.” While hunting ancient dinosaurs, I’ve had face-to-face encounters with an assortment of living creatures, among them bear, elephant, hyena, cobra, moose, and crocodile. But the senses with which I have experienced these places and their inhabitants were attuned in that second growth temperate forest on Vancouver’s west side. Together with family camping trips, those countless treks in the Endowment Lands fostered in me a persistent passion for nature, undoubtedly influencing my career path. In recent years I’ve come to realize that I cannot help but take that Pacific Northwest forest with me wherever I go. It is an indelible part of who I am, more like a lens on the world than a collection of memories.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">I become afraid when I think about the present generation of children growing up largely without such experiences. Kids today spend about 90% less time outdoors than their parents did. Absorbed in the virtual reality of glowing screens, youngsters are missing the natural wonders around their homes—yes, even in urban settings. For the health of children, and the health of the places they live, we need to re-engage children with nature and give them abundant, direct, multisensory, hands-on experience. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Many more kids need to feel the sensation of a bootfull of pollywogs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><b>Images: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">All images are of Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Image Credits (top to bottom):</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">1. justlist-it.com</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">2. panoramio.com</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">3 & 4. digitallery.blogspot.com</span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-20396072280862934442012-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:002012-02-10T19:28:33.417-08:00Planting Trees, Saving Salmon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">One weekend late in 2011, Jade and I decided to get our hands dirty on behalf of the local salmon. Then we welcomed them back home!<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Many readers will have heard of, or even visited, Muir Woods National Monument, a spectacular stand of old growth redwoods a few short miles north of San Francisco. The forest is watered by Redwood Creek, which originates close by at the top of Mount Tamalpais, the dominant landmark of Marin County. The creek nourishes the Monument before completing its short, riffling journey to the Pacific Coast at Muir Beach.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Jade Digging</i></span></p> <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHfJR21XwJoOf4na-LSYBs0hHMYxPvMw0HiAmrxbpXFvp_ja9i8Yh4Fq1zqh6D9ZlNE2KL3xnULXZ2EC4VYRwyyadk8Bps8auQ_QAmjZCOqO0cR56q7d3ISj9qh2fdo_Kf-hchatjZg8/s400/Digging.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706851673272205586" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Redwood Creek is home to (locally endangered) Steelhead Trout and (federally endangered) Central Coast Coho Salmon. Just 25 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, this Northern California creek also bears the distinction of being the southernmost watershed in North America to host stable runs of these anadromous fishes. Most autumns, toward t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">he end of the dry season, the connection between creek and ocean is severed at Muir Beach by a massive sandy berm. During this period, spawning salmon gather out in the bay, waiting fo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">r the first downpours to fill the creek, break through the berm, and re-establish access to their natal creek.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Over the past few decades, fewer and fewer salmon have arrived in the creek each year to spawn. Much of the problem has been mismanagement of the waterway near the ocean. The once extensive system of wetlands, lagoon, and dunes were heavily disturbed by agriculture, construction, and recreation. So the National Parks Service, with help from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, has undertaken a major multi-year, multi-million-dollar project to reclaim the original character of the creek, re-routing the waterway to make it more salmon friendly, removing nonnative plant species, and planting many thousands of native plants. Much of this work is being done by enthusiastic volunteers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="mso-bidi-">On this particular Saturday, Jade and I joined in on the fun, planting Elderberry and California Blackberry. Other volunteers that day were also planting California Wax Myrtle and Small-Fruited Bulrush. Each plant had been lovingly grown nearby at a native plant nursery</span>. Literally hundreds of volunteer hours go in</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">o collecting the seeds and plants, sowing and transplanting the nascent plants, and then planting them in their new homes. It takes a community.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Jade with Deer Exclosure Completed: A Job Well Done</i></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXIdnwtuQWHM7Xq6xHxlruLPDejUounBUgGK0PGQK3ju_lapIuirY9cVxDZEpFQRErpJg3F26HqSSX7lVSlH7QGSMbf4l3mV7qOsTqv2_P0IThqaytfpgGSsT_XxP6ZFWqQ6b6-zVacE/s400/Job+well+done.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706851467157332434" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Jade and I were each given a name tag, gloves, and a digging tool. After a short orientation, we were then handed some seedlings and told where to plant them. Here’s the drill. Dig a hole deep just enough to cover the roots, remove the plant from its plastic protective casing, carefully place it in the hole, and fill the remainder with dirt. Make sure you level off the dirt at the end; a depression at the base of the plant traps too much water; a mound of dirt doesn’t allow enough water to reach the plant. After completing this process with seven or so seedlings in a small area, cover that area with a loose matrix of sticks to prevent deer from grazing away all your hard work (and that of the volunteers before you).</span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">On that day over the span of a few hours, the volunteers planted 310 plants and made 35 deer “exclosures.” Thus far, project volunteers have planted almost 6000 of a total of 9000 plants targeted for volunteer groups, so a lot of work remains to be done. I can vouch from firsthand experience that the work is both fun and rewarding. I felt great getting my hands dirt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">y </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">restoring the watershed and helping to save the salmon. Jade loved it too, and we </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">both look forward to more volunteer planting.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Ane Rovetta, Animated Storyteller</i></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nne-ZHyYOerCn9MyCsSG7U1KqUbUgG4y6ekiTf-sbamhnbIuJRT0SCVMlzi-fQlzpsEoISFAl3iZ3OoPKjfxxBJNQWQpb4vpsSgpoK47xxJtZd16TQXr-n16qKUOot8_vKgidtkjXR4/s400/Storytelling+by+Ane+Rovetta.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706851116994619810" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">We topped that Saturday off by attending the “Welcome Back Salmon” event at Muir B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">each. Festivities included a ceremonial campfire with members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (living descendents of the Coast Miwok). There was also storytelling and native craft making under the capable and passionate direction of Ane Rovetta. Jade and I returned home late afternoon exhausted and exhilarated, with a deeper sense of place and an even stronger feeling that we need to help conserve, restore, and protect our place.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> As indigenous peoples have shown us for generations, topophilia—a love of place—blossoms only if individuals spend abundant time outdoors, learn something of the working</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">s of their native place, and work to take care of it. Only with this intertwined combination of firsthand knowledge, experience, and service can one nurture emotional attachments to local life and landscapes. And at this pivotal juncture in human history, there’s never been a greater need for a topophilia revolution. So think about your local opportunities to get outside and get connected. Oh, and don’t forget the kids!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Ceremonial Salmon Art</i></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqlf-OqiJLbL5jgxXY7xsxIg9InvE80Y5WD-p8-FtlGU7_kvON70irW7GRV5qMN6VtX-3IdJ_o16xCmC-SGhpGsx9bGDKo4Mo1WZPB_-pxYePtwX9yWWh4PFZvOtt1qJRBEgl9tOlqZU/s400/A+Ceremonial+Salmon.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706850811862117890" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">I’ve heard that the salmon did return to Redwood Creek, not in great numbers but they’re still making the upstream journey. I plan to take Jade out soon to try and find them. Traveling thousands of miles and then navigating their way back to their place of birth, these amazing fishes have much to teach us about possessing a true sense of place.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8794312182471569364.post-82243347680441718532012-01-19T12:20:00.000-08:002012-01-19T16:50:48.812-08:00The Gaia HypothesisI wrote the following brief essay in response to literary agent John Brockman's annual question. This year's question was, "What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation? Check out answers from other members of the Edge clan <a href="http://edge.org/annual-question/what-is-your-favorite-deep-elegant-or-beautiful-explanation">here</a>.<br /><p class="MsoNormal">___________________</p><p class="MsoNormal">For my money, the deepest, most beautiful scientific explanation is the Gaia hypothesis, the idea that Earth's physical and biological processes are inextricably interwoven to form a self-regulating system. This notion—the 1965 brainchild of chemist James Lovelock, further co-developed with microbiologist Lynn Margulis—proposes that air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), earth (geosphere or pedosphere) and life (biosphere) interact to form a single evolving system capable of maintaining environmental conditions consistent with life. Lovelock initially put forth the Gaia hypothesis to explain how life on Earth has persisted for 4 billion years despite a 30% increase in the Sun’s intensity over that same interval.</p><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8V6OgtAnKAms7MVLixrPZtvluR8j9dw0okKyVby-AUIS8O_zxx068_8zX_3S23lYuOSl3tK9gfZkliX4goXIprUqZBK2bG69M-MQ3CL_MjtHrPzMCdQznlezn_edTMGktYgs9X-edq0/s400/earth.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699444104538739682" /><p class="MsoNormal">But how does Gaia work? Lacking a conscious command-and-control system, Lovelock and Margulis demonstrated that Gaia uses feedback loops to track and adjust key environmental parameters. Take oxygen, a highly reactive by-product of life, generated and continually replenished by photosynthetic algae and plants. The present day atmospheric concentration of oxygen is about 21%. A few percentage points lower and air-breathing life forms could not survive. A few percentage points higher and terrestrial ecosystems would become overly combustible, prone to conflagration. According to the Gaia hypothesis, oxygen-producing organisms have used feedback loops to maintain atmospheric oxygen between these narrow limits for hundreds of millions of years.</p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73hrCIMJmqXgjdYJwq_lHtbwFY2OH5QZx_Y716jxpoe3KqNX64Kq5xoiUDAz9a0SnvD8i4sPYouwV37urqYr1JoerUnsggiV2UYNLFH132BedvRDbw-RRmWVdoAFbeOQrVBPhgzzg-Qs/s400/Lovelock.+Guardian.co.uk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699443790523719490" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px; " /><div><p class="MsoNormal"><i>James Lovelock</i></p><p class="MsoNormal">Similar arguments, backed by an ever-growing body of research, can be made for other atmospheric constituents, as well as for global surface temperature, oceanic salinity, and other key environmental metrics. Although the Gaia hypothesis highlights cooperation at the scale of the biosphere, researchers have documented multiple examples showing how cooperation at one level could evolve through competition and natural selection at lower levels. Initially criticized by serious scientists as new-age mumbo-jumbo, Lovelock’s radical notion has increasingly been incorporated into scientific orthodoxy, and key elements are now often taught as “Earth Systems Science.” One timely lesson resulting at least in part from Gaian research is that food web complexity, including higher species diversity, tends to enhance ecological and climate stability.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, while Earth may inhabit a “Goldilocks zone,” neither too close nor too far from the sun, life’s rampant success on this “pale blue dot” cannot be ascribed to luck alone. Life has had a direct hand in ensuring its own persistence.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Science has not yet fully embraced the Gaia hypothesis. And it must be admitted that, as an explanation, this idea remains incomplete. The insights cascading from Gaia are unquestionably deep and beautiful, uniting the whole of the biosphere and Earth’s surface processes into a single, emergent, self-regulating system. Yet this explanation has yet to achieve the third milestone defined in this year’s Edge Annual Question—elegance. The Gaia hypothesis currently lacks the mathematical precision of Einstein’s E=Mc<sup>2</sup>. No unified theory of Earth and Life has been presented to explain why life stabilizes more than it destabilizes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><i>W. D. Hamilton</i></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzjR5f47e6_N4eNe0UJ4NGcBpR5Jf_65hyphenhyphen3IX_K9FVDPPEt1kgS96ysdl7I81JmYQpwa2du3nddyFM6wtC3LhYPoZx5A0fwmdp3sgATKoNwV4JPNDdObKkbMp4aKmE9H6WeRagAijFc4/s400/W_D_Hamilton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699443315180864578" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px; " />Evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton once compared Lovelock’s insights to those of Copernicus, adding that we still await the Newton who will define the laws of this grand, seemingly improbable relationship. Hamilton himself became deeply engrossed in seeking an answer to this question, developing a computer model that seemed to show how stability and productivity could increase in tandem. Were it not for an untimely death, Hamilton might have emerged as that modern-day Newton, becoming, in the words of author Tim Flannery, “the most revered biologist of all time.”</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCmKFI5sd7uIyLi8S4CvRZQZb9pX5PH02056N6aau3iumLN9yunSoZF_O78kBKZW_-oy8SUtEiGtUfah3n3j_DaxF4PWGfqiudX-du3nRwH1CjJ6dLQ60iTXjxdp3LRkli9k9XelCocA/s400/blogs.scientificamerican.com.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699442655168710834" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Lynn Margulis</i></p><p class="MsoNormal">The cultural implications of Gaia also continue to be debated. Arguably the most profound implication of Lovelock’s idea is that Earth, considered as a whole, possesses many qualities of an organism. But is Gaia actually alive, akin to a single life form, or is it more accurate to think of her as a planet-sized ecosystem? Lynn Margulis argued strongly (and convincingly, to my mind) for the latter view. Margulis, whose work revolutionized evolutionary biology at the smallest and grandest of scales, died recently. Always the hard-nosed scientist, she once said,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Gaia is a tough bitch — a system that has worked for over three billion years without people. This planet's surface and its atmosphere and environment will continue to evolve long after people and prejudice are gone.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">While not disagreeing with this blunt assessment, I find considerably greater inspiration in Gaian thinking. Indeed I would go so far as to suggest that this idea can help shift the human perception of nature. In the modernist perspective, the natural world is little more than a collection of virtually infinite resources available for human exploitation. The Gaian lens encourages us to re-envision Earth-bound nature as an intertwined, finite whole from which we evolved, and in which we remain fully embedded. Here, then, is a deep and beautiful perspective in desperate need of broad dissemination.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Image Credits</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">James Lovelock: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">www.guardian.co.uk</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">W. D. Hamilton: <a href="http://www.psychology.wikia.com/">www.psychology.wikia.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lynn Margulis: <a href="http://www.blogs.scientificamerican.com/">www.blogs.scientificamerican.com</a></p> <!--EndFragment--><p></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>Scott D. Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536199701500758905noreply@blogger.com3