RED DEER — When Jim Robertson thinks back to a special place from his childhood in Montreal, he remembers climbing through the trees to a small natural cavern.
The ground was covered with thick moss and he was completely enclosed in nature, said Robertson of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre in Red Deer.
“It was a wonderful spot and even 55 years later I remember the softness and being surrounded by green,” said Robertson during a Nature Deficit Disorder session at the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference.
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It’s those special memories created by playing and being in nature that will help children today connect with nature, he said.
Worldwide studies have shown people active in the environmental movement had a special place of some sort when they were young, he said.
“Fewer and few kids are getting the chance to connect with a natural spot.”
If children don’t know about nature, they don’t know that it is worth protecting. By connecting children with nature they will believe more strongly in protecting the environment and the nature within it.
It’s not easy to convince children to unplug their electronic devices and head outside to explore sloughs or grasslands.
“The lure of the screen is hard to compete with.”
Colin Weir of the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale, Alta., said each time they release birds back into the wild, they invite children to watch and participate as a way of connecting the children with the wildlife.
Weir said their goal is to try and create memorable experiences at the centre. Unlike a zoo, the tours are guided with an interactive experience.
“We want to create memorable moments for our visitors.”
Weir said a local farmer recently brought in animals he had found in a field. He told Weir the only reason he brought them to the centre was because he had toured it in Grade 3.
