season and banding a lot of feeder birds.

I read a book recently that really hit me hard. It was interesting and frightening, but at the same time, inspirational. The book was "The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv.

Richard Louv has researched extensively childhood and family life and he has documented evidence confirming something we all intuitively know: many kids today are very out-of-touch with the natural world.

Kids just don’t play outside like they once did. When Louv asked them why not, they listed several reasons: lack of time due to overscheduling, the lure of TV and computers, and also their parents’ fears and behaviors. Parents don’t feel it’s safe for their children to run around outside without constant oversight. In fact, Louv found that the radius around the home where children are allowed to play unsupervised is now only 1/9^th what it was in 1970, and 41% of children age 8-11 worry about being safe in their own neighborhood. Families don’t interact outside like they used to either. A study of national park visitation rates found a decline in the attendance at the West’s major parks in the last 10 years; at some parks, the decrease was 15-20% or more. And family camping decreased as well.

One fourth grader reported to Louv "I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are." Kids are spending more time in sedentary play such as video and computer games, and also at organized sports and homework.

Predictably, the result is that kids are alienated from nature, growing up urbanized and disaffected. Often the only animals kids have known are their pets, and the only animals they’ve even seen are in zoos or Sea World. Louv believes that the decrease in the amount of time kids spend outside may be related to the increase in childhood obesity and possibly increases in behavioral disorders such as ADHD and other problems such as childhood depression. Louv calls the entire syndrome of alienation from the natural world "Nature Deficit Disorder".

I can see the alienation from nature among my own children’s friends. I’m amazed at the number of kids age 4 –– 7 who are afraid to touch insects, worms, frogs, snakes, even birds. Some resist playing outside or wading in the creek because they are afraid they’ll get their clothes dirty or wet.

As banders, we are in a terrific position to help kids get back outside and get interested in birds. Many of you already do a fabulous job of bringing kids outdoors and teaching them about birds, banding and nature in general. You are an inspiration!

As for me, I’m resolving to bring more kids along when I go banding this year, and to set up special opportunities to introduce kids to banding. Yes, it’s sometimes a chore to schedule events and kids definitely slow my work, but they’re the ones who will have to protect the environment, conserve wildlife, and put value on wilderness in the future, and they can’t care for the natural world if they never get to know it. I hope that you will take up the challenge to take a kid or two kids or a whole class along with you on your birding expeditions this year. It may be the most important work we do.