Hi Joy,

I have been fortunate to see mostly the other side of that. I have an insect
collection (mostly beetles but with some 'oh-my' lepidoptera as well) that I
enjoy taking to schools. The nice thing about insects is that most kids have
not seen them much. There is very little boredom when you tell about
everything from bombardier beetles to Morpho butterflies and how they
interact with their environments.

The nice thing about children is that they are still open to enjoying new
activities and ideas. That is the best time to get them hooked.

Best wishes,
Ron McCluskey
Cheney, WA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joy Markgraf" <joymarkgraf at gorge.net>
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2005 6:25 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Children and Nature


> Hello Connie Sidles and all;
>
> Like you I am very disturbed by the lack of interest children seem to
> have in nature. But even more upsetting to me is the trend of some
> children to think that nature is here to to be torn up. I can't get the
> picture out of my mind, seen on a Portland area news station the other
> night, of little children ( approx. 5 or more years old) ridding ATVs
> through a swamp for the shear joy of getting all covered with mud! The
> gist of the report was concern for the safety of the children but not a
> word was said about the health of the marsh. Most automobile adds show
> tires spinning through soil, rocks, snow, and grass in very beautiful
> landscapes. More and more I see back-country posted trails torn up by
> motorcycles or ATVs, and gates torn to pieces. Sadly the little park in
> our own area that used to be a picnic area for families is now overrun
> by motorcycles. Sorry to bring up such a painful subject. On a happier
> note I heard some frog songs today.
>
> Joy Stickney-Markgraf
>
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