The Importance of Nature Education

Until the age of 30, I couldn't tell a beech from a birch or a tiger beetle from a dung beetle.

Bold Jumping Spider by astrojunta. Pic from wikimedia.

Why is that important? "Losing their names is a step in losing respect. Knowing their names is the first step in regaining our connection," says Robin Kimmerer in her book Gathering Moss. And it is true. Imagine this sequence of events: child sees bug, shrieks, stomps bug. Now compare it with this: child sees a Bold Jumping Spider, crouches down, watches as it stalks its prey. Learning a mushroom's name (or a bird's or a flower's) is like making a friend - it sets that species apart from what can be an overwhelming blur of feathers, leaves, and fur. It is also the first step towards a true conservation ethic. How can this be? Just remember your last drive on I-684 or your last visit to the comments area of a newspaper's website: people tend to be much crueler and more inconsiderate if they are dealing with anonymous strangers. Likewise, it is much easier, psychologically, to bulldoze a stand of nameless trees than a grove of Flowering Dogwoods, maples, mayflowers, and morels. 


Knowledge leads to respect, which leads to conservation. Unfortunately that chain's weak link is right at the base. Most people can't identify a bird unless it is on a baseball cap or football helmet. All evergreens are pine trees, right? And it is not their fault - schools don't teach natural histories, including universities that issue degrees in biology. Parents often don't have this knowledge to pass on either since there was no one to impart it to them. Those that do have the knowledge are often in clubs like COMA or Audubon, although members often don't have the time or teaching skills to educate large groups of children or adults. Well-meaning television shows and books often educate about rainforests and endangered species, but that knowledge is not as immediate or relevant as a guided walk through our local woods. Which leads to the importance of local nature centers where trained staff can impart both love and knowledge of the natural world to the public. As an employee of one such place, I have seen first-hand how contagious both wonder and enthusiasm can be. I have been a spokesperson for slime molds, a peddler of puffballs, an evangelist for elms, and a pusher of poplars. During the recent budget proposal to close nature centers I saw some of the same children I had taught, write letters and speak out passionately at public meetings to support the parks that they had grown to love. And it worked. They have preserved some of our preserves for another year. Knowledge led to respect, led to conservation.


To save the environment, teach children to love it. If you can, go for a walk with your grandchildren and share your own personal experiences and knowledge of the outdoors. Encourage local schools to use their grounds as living classrooms. Support your local nature center by joining a Friends group. Tell local leaders to invest in the environment by investing in its educators. Tell large environmental groups that the best way to gain new members is not to send out free giftwrap or calendars, but to support local nature centers that are grooming future members with each guided walk in search of dragonflies, polypores, and orchids. Each introduction of frog or mushroom or turtle that an environmental educator makes to a child, could be the start of a beautiful friendship.