Posted: 03/07/07

Are we losing our connection to nature?

Tara Hostnik | contributing columnist
thostnik@smcvt.edu

Yesterday morning, following a long and exhausting week of indoor activities such as work, meetings, classes and study, I found myself dying to get outside. The indoor congestion kicked in as I was constantly sneezing and feeling dizzy. Without a car or ride to the mountain, I decided to experiment with a little cross country skiing, a sport I regrettably gave up a few years ago. The closest trail to St. Michael's is the Gilbrook Forest (the woods behind the 300's), so I decided to gather up the motivation to head over there, despite the freezing temperatures.

On this particular morning the snow was falling so heavily I could barely raise my head to look in front of me (leaving me wishing I brought my ski goggles). It was fairly early, campus life was dead, and the lack of people walking around gave me an assuring sense of solitude. Entering the forest, I suddenly felt like I was no longer amidst the suburbia of Vermont. My surroundings gave the impression of a winter wonderland, complete with snowfall, icicles and silence except for the wind howling through the trees. While skiing down the small hill near the pond, I managed to lose my grip and fell helplessly in the snow. Laying there, I closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths, allowing myself to fully embrace the experience. I immediately realized how gratifying it was to have access to this small nature preserve.  I feel like I sometimes don't realize what nature has to offer in my own backyard.  While some weekends I try to plan elaborate trips around New England, or even drive the hour and a half to Jay Peak, I found that perhaps I should take some time to experience what we have to offer here so close to campus! Rather than feeling upset for missing the ride to the mountain, I should be taking advantage of just being outside.
       
I feel one of the problems with society today is that many of us have lost (or never had) any connection with nature.  While we are plugged into our iPods, cell phones and the Internet, many of us never manage to wake up and take a look around at the beautiful world we live in. I have a twelve-year-old sister and I sometimes try to compare her childhood to mine. I remember when I was her age, in elementary school, my neighborhood friends and I used to play in the woods behind our house every day, building forts, playing man-hunt or even attempting to snowboard down the ridiculously small hill next to our high school. We would try to build mountain bike trails and shovel a small jump in the process. One of my favorite pastimes was walking along the brook next to our house and trying to find ways to jump across it. 

My sister, on the other hand, chooses to spend her time at the mall, the movies or in her room talking to her friends online. She will spend hours in front of the television watching Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel. I don't even think I've seen her ride her bike. Unfortunately, I feel the issue of losing our connection to the outside world is becoming more widespread as indoor activities take over outdoor ones. 
       
A few months ago, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne held a conference on children and nature. He said, "Our children are at risk of losing touch with God’s creation. Fewer children are enjoying the great outdoors. Too many children are overweight and out of shape. Fewer teenagers are out fishing and hunting. Too many teenagers are in windowless basements playing video games where people are the hunted prey.” In truth, America is the fattest country and our children here are at a huge risk of becoming overweight because of the activities they now engage in.
       
Although most of us college students don't have kids of our own, I feel this problem is still an important one to bring up because we can still help to re-introduce nature into kids' lives. We have silblings, camp counselor jobs and many of us are working to become teachers. I feel like we definitely need to take an active role in helping kids today learn appreciation for the outdoors, especially if we hope them to grow up with an interest in conserving it.
       
Cross country skiing so close to St. Michael's helped me realize that nature is not as far as we may think.  It is right here, in our own backyard. The Gilbrook Forest may not be Franconia or Denali or Katahdin, but it has a lot to offer. It allows individuals to temporarily leave the college circus and enjoy some good quality time with our natural world. Now, if only spring would hurry up so that we all can stop complaining about being sick and freezing cold all the time.