[NatureNS] Miner's Marsh offleash park...

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From: Mary Macaulay <Marymacaulay@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 12:16:18 -0300
To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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We need to push for every school to have onsite outdoor "natural classrooms"=
 which include a little wetland and native flora.  The initiative should inc=
lude changes to the curriculum which involve biology/ecology classes being r=
egularly held outdoors.

With kindest regards
Mary (Macaulay)
marymacaulay@hotmail.com
@maryemacaulay

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of littl=
e consequence. The only consequence is what we do."
-- John Ruskin

> On Jun 24, 2014, at 12:00 PM, bev wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com> wrote:
>=20
>> On 2014-06-24, at 10:23 AM, Fred Schueler <bckcdb@istar.ca> wrote:
>>=20
>> * it's hard to see this as bullshit - it's one of the fundamental problem=
s facing naturalists and nature in these latter days. Both kids and society s=
uffer from Nature Appreciation Deficit Disorder, and from the consequences t=
he grotesque exploitation of the Earth by those afflicted with NADD. It's a b=
ig part of the job of naturalists to reverse this, and temporarily holding T=
urtles in captivity is one of the classic ways of communing with nature and g=
etting started with science=20
>>=20
>> fred.
>=20
> * I would like to echo what Fred Schueler has just commented.  While I'm d=
efinitely not advocating that parents should capture painted turtles for spo=
ilt children, etc..., I do wonder if there is a natural history education pr=
ogram available at that site (and others as well).  Being close enough to ob=
serve small creatures is one way of inspiring interest and empathy for the n=
atural world.  Some will say, "But there are interpretive signs!" To which I=
 will reply, "Those are not enough."
>=20
> For several years, I conducted volunteer stream surveys in the Ottawa area=
.  A science teacher at one of that city's high schools asked if she could b=
ring her Grade 10 biology class out to spend a full day with my survey partn=
er and I once each season.  I believe we did four of these annual class outi=
ng surveys.  I soon learned that, almost without exception, no child had eve=
r held a frog, crayfish, turtle, fish, butterfly, or dragonfly.  In fact, ma=
ny of these kids were quite afraid and sometimes even terrified of touching,=
 being touched by, or even looking closely at these creatures.  A couple of t=
imes I had to have talks with kids who screamed and immediately crushed fish=
ing or wolf spiders on sight.  However, by the end of a day of survey work, m=
ost of the kids were quite comfortable about picking up crayfish, netting an=
d releasing minnows, carefully holding a dragonfly, or having a frog sit on t=
heir hands.  I hope that, out of that hundred or so biology students, at lea=
st one or two will have chosen to pursue some line of work in the field of n=
atural history, environmental studies, or conservation management.  I hope t=
hat a further few may have become teachers who will  find a way to  transfer=
 their experience that day in some way to another generation of students.  I=
 hope that a goodly number of those students, should they ever have children=
 of their own, will remember that day spent on a river counting and  measuri=
ng crayfish or learning something about identifying frog species.
>=20
> Unfortunately, the opportunities for nature encounters are becoming increa=
singly few.  As it was, during the four years of our class stream surveys, w=
e went from fairly simple arrangements for an outing, to increasingly more d=
ifficult arrangements where the school wanted to know if my partner and I ha=
d life guard training, rescue gear, etc... We were volunteers with one of th=
e region's conservation authorities, so acting as life guards was not part o=
f our schtick.  We were working in quiet, mid-calf-deep streams, so you can s=
ee where all of this was going.  As well, even locating a suitable study are=
a - clean water with excellent biodiversity - became increasingly difficult a=
s several of the best reaches of river were basically ruined by subdivision d=
evelopment just within that small period of time I am describing.   A lot of=
 this makes me feel sad and sick.  I wonder how, and where, and from whom, c=
hildren will learn about nature. =20
>=20
> bev wigney
> Round Hill, NS - in summer.

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto"><div>We need to push for every school to ha=
ve onsite outdoor "natural classrooms" which include a little wetland and na=
tive flora. &nbsp;The initiative should include changes to the curriculum wh=
ich involve biology/ecology classes being regularly held outdoors.<br><br>Wi=
th kindest regards<div>Mary (Macaulay)</div><div><a href=3D"mailto:marymacau=
lay@hotmail.com">marymacaulay@hotmail.com</a></div><div>@maryemacaulay</div>=
<div><br></div><div><div style=3D"font-weight: bold;"><span style=3D"backgro=
und-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"What we think, or what we know, or what=
 we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is w=
hat we do."</span></div><div align=3D"left"><span style=3D"background-color:=
 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-- John Ruskin</span></div></div></div><div><br>On=
 Jun 24, 2014, at 12:00 PM, bev wigney &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:bkwigney@gmail.=
com">bkwigney@gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type=3D"cite=
"><div><span>On 2014-06-24, at 10:23 AM, Fred Schueler &lt;<a href=3D"mailto=
:bckcdb@istar.ca">bckcdb@istar.ca</a>&gt; wrote:</span><br><span></span><br>=
<blockquote type=3D"cite"><span>* it's hard to see this as bullshit - it's o=
ne of the fundamental problems facing naturalists and nature in th