We Tend To Block Off Many Of

The Future Will Belong To The Nature-smart-those Individuals, Families, Businesses, And Political Leaders Who Develop A Deeper Understanding Of The Transformative Power Of The Natural World And Who Balance The Virtual With The Real. The More High-tech We Become, The More Nature We Need.

If A Child Never Sees The Stars, Never Has Meaningful Encounters With Other Species, Never Experiences The Richness Of Nature, What Happens To That Child?

As A Species, We Are Most Animated When Our Days And Nights On Earth Are Touched By The Natural World. We Can Find Immeasurable Joy In The Birth Of A Child, A Great Work Of Art, Or Falling In Love.

From 1997 To 2003, There Was A Decline Of 50 Percent In The Proportion Of Children Nine To Twelve Who Spent Time In Such Outside Activities As Hiking, Walking, Fishing, Beach Play, And Gardening, According To A Study By Sandra Hofferth At The University Of Maryland.

In Every Bio-region, One Of The Most Urgent Tasks Is To Rebuild The Community Of Naturalists - So Radically Depleted In Recent Years, As Young People Have Spent Less Time In Nature, And Higher Education Has Placed Less Value On Such Disciplines As Zoology……the Times Are Right For The Return Of The Amateur, Twenty-first-century, Citizen Naturalist. To Be A Citizen Naturalist Is To Take Personal Action, To Both Protect And Participate In Nature.