Where Will Future Stewards of Nature Come From?*

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Where Will Future Stewards of Nature Come From?

• What is the extinction of a condor to a child
  who has never seen a wren?
• --Naturalist Robert Michael Pyle

Quotes by Richard Louv best-selling author of
Last Child in the Woods Saving our Children from
Nature-Deficit Disorder
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What is Nature Deficit Disorder, and what is
happening in response to Richard Louvs book
Last Child in the Woods?
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Go out and play has turned into dont you
dare go outside

• The fundamental nature of childhood has changed
  in a single generation
• 80 of Americans live in urban areas,
• 2 of 10 American children are clinically obese,
• Kids spent up to 44 hours per week plugged in.
• Kids are told the outdoors are unsafe and its
  too late to save the planet.
• Were raising a generation that is afraid of the
  outdoors.

Sensationalist media coverage and paranoid
parents have literally scared children straight
out of the woods and field while promoting a
litigious culture of fear that favors safe
regimented sports over imaginative play.
--Richard Louv
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Is love of nature in the US becoming love of
electronic media?
16-year downtrend in national park visits
explained by watching movies, playing video
games, internet use, and oil prices.
Pergams and Zaradic 2006. http//www.videophilia.
org/uploads/JEM.pdf
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There is something in us that needs nature.
When we dont get it, we dont do so well. E.O.
Wilson.
Nature Deficit Disorder

• The unstructured outdoor childhood has vanished.
• Kids are safer from physical harm, but what
  happens to their inner lives and imagination?
• Time spent in nature is essential to human
  development.
• Diminished connection with nature may partially
  be blamed for (nature deficit disorder)
• obesity,
• depression,
• attention deficit disorder,
• learning and behavior disorders, and
• lack of creativity and independent thinking.

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Growing Up Denatured
--New York Times 2005

• Not just a problem of suburbia.
• Rate of obesity is growing faster in rural than
  urban areas.
• A National Dialogue for the Health and Well-Being
  of Our Children inspired by Last Child in the
  WoodsSaving our Children from Nature-deficit
  Disorder

Consensus Nature therapy as a cure for
attention deficit disorder and other societal
ills.
Kids have an intellectualized relationship with
nature. Its one thing to read about a frog,
its another to hold it in your hand and feel its
life. --Richard Louv
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Saving the Child in Nature

• In the past, the conservation community offered
  only token attention to children.
• Children need
• Many hours freely exploring the outdoors,
• Time spent in favorite wild places,
• Unstructured play and discovery,
• An inspiring adult who cares about nature.

New mission? FWP as gateway for nature therapy.
If we are going to save the environment, we
must also save an endangered indicator species
the child in nature. Richard Louv
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Whats Different Now?

• Growing realization and understanding that
• Contemporary society is estranged from nature.
• Estrangement has physiological, physical,
  environmental, social, psychological, and
  spiritual implicationsmostly negative.
• Implications (nature deficit disorder) are
  partially to blame for this generations struggle
  with obesity, depression, aggression, learning
  and behavior disorders.
• Nature deficit disorder can be overcome or
  prevented by spending time outdoors (nature
  therapy).
• Protecting nature for healthy human development
  is a viable justification.
• Theres real merit to Saving the Child in Nature

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Conservation Achievement
Conserving land and species
Conserving land and species as well as the
relationships of people and nature
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Montanans Health An Initial Assessment

• We have lots of nature and few people, so
  Montanans should be healthy and well

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Heart Disease 1 Killer in Montana
Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services
2006
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Preventable Causes of Death
Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services
2006
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Risk Behaviors
Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services
2006
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Overweight Obesity
Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human Services
2006
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Unhealthy Food too Little Exercise
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TV Viewing and Obesity
(similar relationship between TV viewing and
likelihood of ADHD)
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Hunter Participation Trends

• Why does FWP care about nature deficit disorder?
  The short of it, its a user-based system and
  hunters are needed to continue the hunting,
  wildlife, conservation legacy in Montana.

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Fewer People Hunt
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Hunters Nationwide
Southwick Associates 2005
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U.S. Population That Hunts
Southwick Associates 2005
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State Hunting License Revenue
Southwick Associates 2005
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Active Hunters
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Resident Deer A License (2003-05 Average)
Whos going to replace these baby boomers?
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Resident Elk License (2003-05 Average)
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Migratory Bird License (2003-05 Average)
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Montana Will Grow Older
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Hunter Initiation Cycle
Likelihood and avidity of hunting as adult
Culture Gender Ethnicity Urbanization
Age and frequency of hunting as a youth
Importance and value of hunting to the
individual
Nature Deficit Disorder
Likelihood of adult introducing family member to
hunting
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Mentorship Critical
Responsive Management 2003
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Resident Elk License (2003-05 Average)
Parents Family members
Youth
Forecast Fewer mentors coupled with fewer kids
will result in a sharp decline.
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Do children in Montana experience nature deficit
disorder? If so, what are we going to do about
it?
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Workgroup Conversations

• What are the worst outcomes if a separation of
  children and nature occurs in Montana?
• Take 10 minutes and list as many outcomes as you
  can, dont critique or judge.

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Workgroup Conversations

• What are the best outcomes if a reunion of
  children and nature takes place in Montana?
• Take 10 minutes and list as many outcomes as you
  can, dont critique or judge.

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Workgroup Conversations

• What strategies and actions are necessary to
  reunite children and nature in Montana?
• Take 10 minutes and list as many outcomes as you
  can, dont critique or judge.

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Workgroup Conversations

• Where do we go from here? Can we identify some
  immediate steps and long-term goals? Do we have
  the beginning of a vision?.

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What is FWP Going to Do?

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Thinking Outside The Box Initial Thoughts

• Build No Child Left Inside coalition
• Lower hunting age (LC)
• Hunter education deferral (HB 171)
• Outdoor-based curriculum during MEA Days
• Hunter Olympics (4-H FWP Partnership)
• Montana Ecosystem project Place-based learning
• Living Wild Connecting Children and Nature
• Montana No Child Left Inside website with
  statewide outdoor calendar
• This list needs to be much longer!

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EXTRA
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Growing the Children-and-Nature Movement
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The Great Park Pursuit
http//www.nochildleftinside.org/pursuit/register.
php
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Affects All of Us

• Educators
• Health professionals
• Business leaders
• Conservations
• Parents

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Children Nature
Kids need Nature
Nature needs Kids
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Whats Happening

• Adults fear for their childrens safety (stranger
  danger)
• Parents are busy, no enough time for kids to
  explore
• Schools are little help
• Organized activities are easier and accessible
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Urbanization
• Electronic media
• Less family time

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Consequences

• Diminished health
• Higher stress and aggression
• Reduced cognitive and creative capacities
• Lower school achievement
• Diminished productivity

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Nature Therapy Cures

• Cognitive and creative abilities
• Fosters problem solving

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Solving the Recruitment Challenge

• It wont be easy, but its worth trying

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If We Build It, They Will Come
Sustained Resource Utilization
Maximize Hunter Opportunity
Opportunity Participation
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Solving the Recruitment Problem

• Recruitment is a complex phenomenon
• It takes a hunter to make a hunter
• Hunters come from hunting families
• Early initiation is critical
• Hunter education can play an important role
• Recruitment retention are flipsides of the same
  coin
• When is a hunter recruited?
• When a person says Im a hunter
• Hunter education license purchases are limited
  indicators
• Most recruitment factors are beyond our control

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It Takes A Hunter To Make A Hunter

• No silver bullet
• The real problem is fewer adults take kids
  hunting
• Many feel good programs
• Hunters, agencies, organizations concerned
• Youth hunts with special seasons and harvest
  rules
• Reduced or free youth licenses
• Lower hunting age and less hunter ed
• Potential for unintended consequences, see
  Families Afield
• Montana is in a situation of opportunity, not
  crisis

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Trends Working Against Hunting

• Overall aging population
• Increased ethnic diversity
• Increased urbanization
• More dual earner families
• Declining support for hunting
• Increased specialization and commercialization
• More and easier options to fill leisure time

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The Last Best Place to Hunt

• Abundant wildlife, wildlands, and access
• Rural state with low population
• Family tradition of hunting
• Strong hunting culture
• Ample and diverse hunting opportunities
• Supportive and engaged hunters

Tremendous opportunity to perpetuate hunting for
those who are interested
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Hunting Initiation Cycle
Likelihood and avidity of hunting as adult
Culture Gender Ethnicity Urbanization
Age and frequency of hunting as a youth
Importance and value of hunting to the
individual
Likelihood of initiating family member to hunting
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Implications for Youth Recruitment

• Hunting initiation takes place within the context
  of family
• Provide for bonding with male relative
• Youth accompany experienced hunter without
  hunting themselves
• Provide family-oriented hunting opportunities
• Tailor recruitment programs to stages of
  childhood development
• Provide opportunities for youth to experience
  hunting culture
• Target specific mentors from rural households who
  hunt

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Low Hanging Fruit

• Focus recruitment on traditional, rural hunting
  households
• Focus on youth that are predisposed to hunting
• Focus on males who have kids/relatives of hunting
  age
• Encourage adults to take kids hunting
• Free family license only valid when youth is
  present
• Special family access programs
• Mentoring guide Teach your kid how to hunt
• Promote hunting as a fun, family-oriented, and
  wholesome activity
• Deemphasize the kill, trophy, success, and
  hunting as a mgmt. tool
• Promote hunting as a means to share values
  between generations
• Encourage lapsed parent-hunters to hunt again
• Provide opportunities for youth to acquire skills
  beyond hunter ed

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HUNTER PARTICIPATION

• What Can We Do About It?