Yosemite and the American Camping Association's Leadership Conference

I just started serving at NOS a month ago. When I noticed we had the American Camping Association’s leadership conference in Palm Springs, California, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I have never been to a conference before, never been to California, and never heard of the American Camping Association (ACA).   After the conference I realized that I was very lucky that I was able to come to northern Nevada and serve at Nevada Outdoor School.

The first stop we made on the drive down to Palm Springs for the conference was to Yosemite National Park.  Having an interest in the environment and environmental education, my expectations were very high, but the experience surpassed these expectations in every possible way.  There was a snowstorm the night before in the park, so all the trees had this beautiful layer of fresh white powder.  When we started hiking up the mist trail, the snow was melting off all of the trees from the night before, making the hike up the mountain that much more difficult.  Slippery rocks, icy trails, and a steep incline made this trail very difficult to maneuver. This struggle is what made reaching the top that much better. I wish I could truly explain to you what I experienced on this day, but I don’t think anyone can put into that experience into words.  I am not a poet, writer, painter, photographer, but when I made it to the top of that trail, I felt that I was transported inside some of the greatest paintings, poems, books, and photographs.  For the first time in my young life I have experienced something that had true beauty.   I will never be a good enough writer to describe what I was feeling in Yosemite, but what I can say is that it was truly inspirational and it truly freed my mind and my spirit. 

NOS AmeriCorps member James Winkelman in Yosemite

After that we traveled to the Pacific Ocean and then went to Palm Springs for the conference.   Knowing absolutely nothing about the American Camping Association before this conference, I have to say that the week-long conference in Palm Springs truly changed my view of how to educate young people.  The lesson that really stuck out to me was the message that we are not fully developing our students if we, as a society, only expect to educate students in traditional schooling environments and not outside of the classroom.   There is a need to develop skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, social intelligence, self-control, optimism and curiosity. The need to develop these skills is so important today in order to develop successful and happy adults.   One way that these children can develop these skills is through camp programs and outdoor education.  Camps give children opportunities to deal with managed, fun, challenging risks that require them to lean on each other, communicate effectively, and advise each other in order to succeed with the task at hand.

What I will remember most about the conference is meeting these influential people trying to develop the younger generation in order for them to become better adjusted and more ready to take on life as an adult.  It was amazing to see so many different adults coming together that really cared about the kids and how they can help them.  The first keynote speaker, Jim Cain, had hundreds of adults, from camp directors and bestselling authors to camp counselors and naturalists, doing different team building exercises, name games, and dances in the ballroom.  The energy of the room showed me the devotion that these people have to their craft, and the commitment that they have to serving the youth and helping them grow to their full potential.  The people I meet, the ideas that they shared, the amount of growing programs and their stories gave me inspiration to follow my passions in outdoor education. 

by: James Winkelman

Inspiring Future Conservation Leaders through Outdoor Education

I recently traveled to Washington D.C. to receive recognition as a White House Champion of Change on behalf of the work Nevada Outdoor School is doing to engage the next generation of conservation leaders.  As part of this amazing event, I was asked to write a blog entry for the White House in regards to the subject.  Here is what I wrote:

The idea of conservation as Federal management of land and water resources to ensure future sustainable use and boots on the ground service to public lands goes back many decades.  While these are still important themes, we are just beginning to learn what conservation looks like for “Generation Like.”  Children having authentic experiences in nature at a young age can no longer be taken for granted, yet is critical for developing conservation minded citizens.  Competition for young peoples’ attention from digital media and social networking is fierce.  Tremendous amounts of information, true, false and otherwise is available at our fingertips 24/7.  A responsible Federal budget may no longer be able to financially support all of the conservation needs of our country.  Increasing population and modern lifestyles are demanding more and more of our natural resources and environmental issues are becoming more and more complex.  Undoubtedly, it is a real challenge to address all of these concerns in the modern conservation landscape but from my perspective, outdoor and environmental education offers a significant tool to do so and it is incredibly rewarding to try.  At Nevada Outdoor School, we are continually musing on these issues and trying to bring innovative solutions to life.

NOS Executive Director Andy Hart (center) speaking on reconnecting youth with nature at the White House, March 18th, 2014.  photo credit: Tami A. Heilmann, DOI

When engaging young Americans in conservation, it is important to be mindful of their reduced attention span and need for more timely gratification.  Youth conservation service projects can be designed to do this, ensuring they can see the results of their efforts and still provide tangible physical benefit to the land.  Of course, with youth, the physical outcomes of a project should be far secondary to the experience.  Some of the greatest conservation minds our country has ever known did very little at a young age for our natural resources.  Folks like John Muir and Aldo Leopold were documented to have been a bit rough with nature in their formative years, but the depth of connection and passion those experiences created propelled these leaders to ultimately benefit public lands in profound ways so that future generations could enjoy similar experiences.  Even as part of formal outdoor and environmental education programs, youth need time for unstructured exploration.

Likewise, youth propensity for technology shouldn’t be feared by those of us working hard to get them away from the computer screen and into nature.  Certainly, we should instill in our children the value of putting technology away for a while and enjoying the natural sights and sounds around us.  However, there are a variety of ways modern electronics can assist in authentic experiences in the outdoors.  Some examples might be a camera with GPS location tagging, a digital water quality tool used for a citizen springs assessment or a hand held GPS used for a family EarthCaching adventure.  Additionally, reflection remains an important aspect of any learning experience.  We need to embrace the fact that reflection today may be quite appropriate in the form of blogging, tweeting or posting about that experience.

While these are just two of the hurdles to overcome when engaging youth in the outdoors and conservation, we try not to be overwhelmed.  Never forget that taking kids outside is supposed to be fun.  The more fun it is, the more likely we are to see the next generation develop into conservation-minded adults, with the science background to think critically and make thoughtful decisions on conservation and land-use issues.  This idea drives Nevada Outdoor School in our work, providing opportunities for youth and families to learn and grow outdoors and engaging as many as 1,000 students each month with inquiry-based, outdoor and environmental education initiatives.

Toys and Nature

A toy can be a wonderful thing for a child, and as we approach the Holiday Season, toys may be the first thing on the minds of children everywhere.  Toys can be a source of inspiration, entertainment, creative play, family togetherness, and the development of cognitive reasoning, social and fine motor skills.  The question I am pondering today is: Do toys need to come at the expense of time spent in nature? 

Looking again at that list of benefits, I see no reason that nature cannot do the same.  In fact, I have witnessed this to be true during my time with Nevada Outdoor School as well as in my personal life.

However, there is an advertisement that was run by Toys ‘R’ Us® recently that might suggest otherwise.  You can watch that ad here: Toys R Us Ad

Many of us in the outdoor education profession are quite disappointed that Toys ‘R’ Us® chose to run this.  What a great opportunity for a group of children, providing them with a toy of their choosing, but what benefit comes from taking a shot at outdoor education and time spent in nature?

Outdoor education is certainly not boring as these smiling faces will attest too:

Adventure Camp II

In addition to having fun, studies show that these children will have greater academic success, lowered risk for childhood obesity and related diseases, improvement in attention disorders and stronger social skills.  Their time outdoors has increased the impact of what they learn in the classroom and helped to make solid connections to topics in science and ecology.  Nevada Outdoor School’s programming is engaging, hands-on and inquiry based.  We tend to sing songs on the bus as opposed to memorizing photos of leaves.

There is a lot more that could be said about all of this.  We could turn it into a big battle between commercialism and the environment, or comment on the billions of dollars spent marketing to children each year to the point where their ability to recall corporate brands and logos is astounding.  However, I think a simple conclusion is best: Toys can be great, spending time in nature is great, both should be a part of every child’s life and they don’t need to compete.

Archery, macro-invertebrates, marbles, and skits what more could you ask for?

These are just a few of the exciting experiences had while camping at Lye Creek last week for Adventure Camp 2.

This past week (July 16^th-20^th) was one of the greatest experiences I have had since coming to Nevada last September. I was able to watch a group of strangers come together over the course of team building activities and games to become a cohesive team, expanding their interest and knowledge of the outdoors. Their enthusiasm to be outdoors and to simply explore the world around them reminds me of something Enos Mills (often referred to as “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park”) once said:

“Often, the chief incentive that starts a child toward the acquiring of an education is interest in this fairyland of Nature. Interest is the highroad to education. Interest the mind and it will grow like a garden."

It is inspiring to see children, in this age of technology and constant electronic connection, to be interested in picking up rocks in a creek and studying the insects living there. No words I know can wholly describe the feeling at hearing their laughter and shouts of excitement over a new discovery.

Do you remember what it was like exploring as a child?

If you had asked me this question last week at this time I would have responded with “I kind of remember….it’s a little fuzzy. I remember I had fun though.” After witnessing the campers exploring it brought me back to my childhood and I began remembering things; remembering the feeling of the cool creek water on my grandparent’s farm, the sound of a thousand insects singing, the rustling of large oak leaves, the smell of grass and earth, and a pure sense of place. I was filled with a sense of belonging, a sense of adventure.

Summer camps are always filled with fun, games, songs, and new experiences, but encounters like the ones listed above are what I live for as a Naturalist. These are the experiences get campers to start asking questions, start wanting to know more and more and more and more…

These experiences help spark the imagination and ignite the desire to learn, not just about the natural world, but about life.

Join the experience. Take a leaf out of our children’s books: Get out and explore.

Take care.

-Cheddar

Friends, Games, and Crafts – OH MY!

Adventure Camp I

Nevada Outdoor School had the first of our Summer Camp programs, Adventure Camp I last week. And WOW – what a week it was! During the five-day day camp program, the 21 campers and our NOS Staff learned about Teamwork, Animals, Adventure, Space, and Water.

The campers and staff enjoyed all the games that were played over numerous days including Mini Tank, Toilet Tag, Ninjas Attack, along with many others.  But I think the highlights of everyone’s time at camp was swimming on the first day and when Professor Doug Hogan took the time to show the campers and staff some of his snakes, and his furry friends as well.

It was such a wonderful experience for myself, as the camp coordinator, to see the campers really grow from the beginning of the camp to the final day. During the five days of Adventure Camp I, the NOS Staff gave the Adventure Camp participants many challenges that they had to complete together. By the end of the week, the whole group had become a united force, and was able to complete the challenges that were put in front them. The campers became masters at One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, where they used team work and stealth to get a stuffed animal from a NOS Instructor to their starting line without being caught. I was also really proud of all the campers for accomplishing the Hula Hoop Challenge and getting everyone to pass each of the individual Hula Hoops around the circle and hold each other’s hands at the same time. The campers got so good, that at the second day they could pass around two Hula Hoops at the same time.

 All our Adventure Campers really had a good time during our Water Canyon trip, hiking around and learning more about Water Canyon. They got to see a lot of the canyon, and learned some new games on the trail. The kids also got to learn more about how to follow Leave No Trace, and helped the NOS Staff to wash dishes and build a fire. The next day, everyone participated in activities about space and pulled out all kinds of crafty skills to draw planets, aliens, and so much more!

I’m so glad I got to spend all five days with such an awesome group of kids. I think everyone at camp really appreciated one another, and grew together. All the kids came away from camp with new friends, new knowledge from our themes, and a better understanding of the world around them. I hope all the campers continue to use their energy and excitement to continue learning and growing.

Rock on!
Rocket

Everyone Loves a Fair!

"Rat Island" Habitats Booth at the Ecology Fair

Nevada Outdoor School hosted an “Ecology Fair” for fourth grade students in Winnemucca last week.  This event took place at the Winnemucca Community Garden over the course of two days and was a great success!

Ecology Fair represented a new idea for Nevada Outdoor School in which we wanted to put an exciting spin on the traditional field trip model.  The goal was to provide students with an opportunity to investigate, discover, and learn about ecology through hands-on, interactive and self-guided exploration.  The event ran for two hours.  Students participated in a 30 minute scavenger hunt, 30 minute Project Learning Tree Activity and explored the fair for 1 hour.  Before going to the fair, students were each issued a passport book which they took around with them and received stickers from presenters for successfully participating at their booth.  Students were encouraged to go to as many booths and get as many stickers as possible, learn as much as they could and have fun. 

Staff from various partner agencies such as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP), as well as community volunteers came together to run hands-on, interactive booths covering a wide variety of ecological topics including fire, water quality, wildlife, soil, vermicomposting and noxious weeds.  During their hour at the fair, students wandered freely around the different booths and took control of their own learning. 

It was amazing to see students so excited to get to their next booth and learn something new.  Many wanted to stay longer and one student even asked if the fair would be there that weekend so she could come back. 

Everyone loves a fair!

-Jive

The New Environmental Education is Good for All of Us

Some thoughts from our Executive Director on the current state of Environmental Education:

Twenty years ago, the term Environmental Education left a sour taste in most people’s mouths.  Perhaps it still does for some, but it shouldn’t.  Most everyone in my current profession will agree that Environmental Education hasn’t always been done well and in the 1980’s and 90’s, even when it was; the term had been hijacked in popular culture by agenda-based organizations and lobbying groups.  Moreover, anything accompanied by the word environmental was often assumed to indicate a negative for industry, agriculture or progress in general.  It is long overdue for us to recommit to the word ‘environment’ for what it really is, the space in which we all live and rely upon as an endless provider.  From the space to go hunting or enjoy a hot spring soak, clean air to breathe and water to drink, to the soil to grow our food and minerals to fuel our economy; all of this is our environment and we need to know it well.  More than know it, it needs to impassion us and especially our youth.

We all know that increasing population, along with demands for natural resources and energy are all posing new and complex problems for our environment.  Problems that we don’t fully understand, problems that grow in importance with each new generation, problems that our children and children’s children will need to have the skills and passion to find innovative solutions for.  This is where the new environmental education comes in. 

EE in Action, Lamoille Canyon, Nevada

The first thing that Environmental Education (EE) does is simply to get children into the environment, the natural environment that is, outdoors.  The average American child currently spends more than 6 hours per day looking at an electronic screen, be it a computer, television, video game or phone.  That number will disturb most parents who grew up spending their free time involved in creative outdoor play.  Besides the lack of real connection to the environment, this problem, which has been coined nature-deficit disorder, has many other negative implications.  It has taken some time to gather data, but studies have now linked lack of time spent outdoors to childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder, low Vitamin D (produced from sunlight) levels, near-sightedness and lack of cooperation and conflict resolution skills.  These studies continue to mount.  Scientists in Finland have recently announced they have found a connection between children who do not play outside and thus are not exposed to various microbes found in soil have higher rates of allergy/autoimmune disorders such as celiac disease (gluten intolerance).

Once children have ventured outside of the classroom, or their front door, they can be engaged in place-based education.  This important aspect of EE simply means that students should first learn about the environment with which they are most familiar, their place.  Should we expect a student in northern Nevada to truly connect with the rainforest or Arctic Ocean if they have not had the opportunity to connect with the high desert environment which they can see and touch every day?  Probably not.

Another guiding principle of the new EE is inquiry.  The inquiry approach to learning teaches children how to think, not what to think.  Viewing the environment from the scientific perspective, inquiry learning strengthens investigative, observation and analytical thinking skills as students seek their own answers to problems.  Inquiry helps students take their current level of understanding and make new conclusions based on observation and experimentation.  There is no one chained to a tree in the new environmental education.

Environmental Education does not mean time away from academics. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  All traditional subject matter can be taught with the environment as a classroom and model.  Environmental curriculum is designed to meet state and national academic standards and studies have shown that learning outdoors increases overall academic performance in core subjects.  Even classroom-based environmental education has tremendous benefits.  In our very own French Ford Middle School (FFMS), standards-based EE curriculum was one of several changes implemented a few years ago to combat struggling science scores on standardized testing.  Since that time, FFMS has shown a drastic turnaround in this area.  It is important not only for students to gain skills and an understanding of science but to be inspired by it.  Seeing science applied to streams, plants, soil, etcetera, in a natural environment, helps to do this. 

The inspiration that Environmental Education can provide is crucial to reverse the falling number of students enrolling in higher education and pursuing careers in science and natural resources.  We desperately need bright young people to do just that, to be the next generation of environmental or agricultural scientists, engineers or land managers.  Those young people need to be prepared to solve complex environmental issues, to steward the land and create good policy.  The decisions they make will ultimately be theirs, but they should have a solid foundation on which to make them through this new style of EE.

Now, this new EE isn’t really all that new.  It has been gaining momentum for some time now.  It has been present in Winnemucca and Humboldt County for the past 10 years.  I am proud of what Nevada Outdoor School has done thus far for local youth and families.  I know of no other community our size anywhere which has the same breadth and volume of environmental and outdoor education programming available.  And for a community which has such a history of connection to and reliance upon the environment as we do, be it for work or play, why shouldn’t we?  I think we all want to see the tradition continue with our children at the forefront, to see a strong balance between conservation, outdoor recreation and our need to use the land.  Environmental Education will help; it is good for all of us.