Opinion: Inside looking out
Inside looking out
letters@TimesRecord.Com
09/25/2008
Mist rises from pristine waters to greet sunrises that span the spectrum from salmon red to cerulean blue, leaving behind the reflections of brilliant golden, scarlet and orange foliage. Autumn winds ripple through fields of grass burnt amber by the summer sun. Where meadows and forest converge, birds and native mammals forage for fruit, nuts and berries to fortify themselves for the impending winter. Later, stars emerge from sunsets that encroach into the late afternoon, illuminating familiar patterns above the silhouettes of mountains that have defined the horizon for millennia. It's a wonderful time to be outdoors in Maine. Then again, when isn't it? That notion provides the impetus for "Take It Outside, the Governor's Conference on Youth and the Natural World," which is slated to run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Augusta Civic Center. Sponsored by the Maine Department of Conservation and the Appalachian Mountain Club, among others, the conference aims to stem the negative effects of "children's increasing disconnect from nature and the outside natural world." Why "Take It Outside?" Organizers cite statistics that link the increased time children spend immersed in electronic media — an average of 6.5 hours per day for children between 8 and 18 years old, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation — with a 100 percent increase in Maine's childhood obesity rate since 1990. In turn, medical professionals trace spikes in early onset of Type 2 diabetes and some forms of attention deficit disorders to the prevalence of cooped-up kids and the ballooning number of overweight or obese children, respectively. The conference seeks to encourage parents, educators and community planners to make better use of Maine's abundant natural resources as tools for promoting healthy development of future generations. Presenters will offer suggestions for integrating hikes, walks, exploration and simple outdoor play into school curricula and community planning. One of the key goals will be to debunk the false impression that allowing children to play outside places them at greater risk. Actually, if they're not frolicking in traffic or playing "Chicken" with freight trains, children encounter fewer dangers from the outside world than they do from what streams at them from the CW, YouTube or "Grand Theft Auto," conference sponsors argue. The 2007 Duke University Child and Well-Being Index reports that rates of violent crimes against children have dropped significantly, well below levels in 1995, when many of today's parents were children. The rate of child abductions by strangers now stands at 0.00001 percent. Obesity poses a greater threat. So too does breeding a culture of inactivity and paranoia about nature. Refreshingly, the "Take It Outside" initiative comes without a hidden price tag. It's just a matter of opening adults' minds and opening doors for children. To attend: To register for the conference, go to the Web site www.take-it-outside.com or call Gale Ross at (207) 287-5266. http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/36EF63637FF97126852574CF005856CE?Opendocument
Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2008 (Archive on Thursday, October 16, 2008) Posted by Rob Burbank  Contributed by
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