In speaking with colleagues as parents and as professionals in environmental science and land conservation, I see a growing concern about fewer children developing a meaningful connection to the natural world. Free outdoor play time that many of us took for granted growing up in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s is missing from many children’s lives today.
Remember the days of playing outside until being called home for dinner? Neighborhood kids riding bicycles in packs all day from one child’s home to the next? Lying in the grass watching bees gather pollen flower to flower, seeing their flight more labored after each collection stop? Running through the raindrops and puddles with friends during that first glorious summer rain? August days spent keeping cool in the shade while listening to the drone of cicadas? Those quiet outdoor moments, holding no particular agenda, were often the most memorable and significant.
In those same decades, the land conservation movement flourished with Americans demanding that our nation’s natural treasures be protected for all generations. As a result, environmental awareness expanded people’s understanding of natural resource values and garnered further appreciation for the special places being saved. Locally, the Westerly Land Trust has succeeded in preserving over 1,550 acres of conservation land since 1998. That acreage is the equivalent of 105 Wilcox Parks and includes over 20 miles of hiking trails open to the public for all ages. In addition to providing areas for public recreation, these amazing places protect wildlife habitats, Westerly’s air quality, and drinking water supply upon which all of us rely. But do our children, the environmental stewards of tomorrow, have a connection to these special places?
Today we awaken to the reality that we must help our young generation develop ties with the natural world. We and those before us have worked hard to protect and care for conservation lands and now our responsibility is to lead our children to define their own relationship with their surrounding environment. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t take much. A hike through the woods. A nature exploration with a magnifying glass in hand. Turning over a dead log to observe who lives beneath. Dipping a small net into water to see what is caught. Simply observing a natural setting and sharing that experience. What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you see?
Along these lines, the Westerly Land Trust is currently launching new family friendly hikes and other programs to share knowledge and fun activities in Land Trust preserves and at the Community Garden on Main Street. In this way, our young people may learn about their environment while enjoying the many benefits of spending time outdoors and cultivating a relationship with the natural world.
The first spring event is a family friendly Hike Through the Ice Age on April 13 at 9am in Dr. John Champlin Glacier Park to explore the preserve’s unique geologic history. What was the preserve like during the last Ice Age and why does the landscape look as it does today? 
Another fun event for families, students and Boy/Girl Scout groups will be native shrub planting days on April 21 and 22 from 9am-4pm at Beriah Lewis Farm Preserve. This is part of a water quality improvement project to keep pastured cattle out of the Pawcatuck River and the task at hand is to plant hundreds of young native shrubs between the river and the newly installed fence. Once established, the shrubs will protect the riverbank from erosion and discourage wild geese from walking into the pasture where they graze on grasses and leave droppings that further add to the nutrients washed into the river.
Any people interested in the family hike or planting days should pre-register with WLT Program Coordinator & Naturalist Keith Cowley at keith@newnativefoundation.org. There is additional information at www.westerlylandtrust.org for more events such as Community Garden sessions beginning in May.
As the warmer days of spring draw us all outdoors, I hope you will enjoy Westerly’s special places with your families and friends. Get out there to find your place and help our youngsters find theirs.
