Acadia Partners Blog

A couple of days ago I began a series of three short articles about Richard Louv’s important book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. In the first article, I described Louv’s compellingly simple story about how Americans have changed the way that they relate to nature. Currently, it appears that children are growing up disconnected from nature. In the second article I summarized some of Louv’s thinking about how we got into this spot and about what it might take to get out of it. I ended with the observation that Louv’s description of the problem is simpler and more compelling than is his solution. Today I try own hand at finding a perspective that opens up a bigger picture and some insight toward reconnecting children and nature.

First–up until the end of the 19th century–we set out to use and conquer nature. Then, with much of the conquest behind us, we romanticized our view of nature and decided to protect some of it, setting aside the National Parks as an inspiration to future generations. But the surprising dilemma is that the future generations aren’t paying attention. The iconic images for children are no longer cowboys and Indians or Davy Crockett out on the frontier, but rappers on the city streets. For most children growing up today, nature is simply not relevant. So … what do we do now?

Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is an engaging read that speaks to the future health of children and of our National Parks. The book is about the way that young people connect to nature–or, more accurately, connect to it less and less. As Acadia National Park superintendent Sheridan Steele has noted, continued support for conserved places depends on engaging children with nature and getting them into the parks. Louv’s book shows us that we are failing to create that engagement.

Yesterday Denny and I met with Robin Alden and Ted Hoskins of the Penobscot East Resource Center, an organization in Stonington focused on community based science and community leadership. As often happens in such meetings, someone asked me, "What does Acadia Partners do?" I gave the usual quick answer: "We support science in the National Park." 

Ted Hoskins is a careful listener–the kind of person who actually thinks about what you say. So, rather than satisfying Ted, my answer had a kind of multiplying effect, resulting in two more questions, each taking off in a different direction. Pursuing those two questions here in the weblog might be useful for others who want to know more about what we do at Acadia Partners.

This is the last of a series of three short writings that talk about Acadia Partners’ mission. The first piece focused on the place where Acadia Partners is located, since Acadia Partners’ mission is rooted in the importance of place. The second installment looked at the question of who we have to thank for preserving this place and keeping it available to the public. This final segment looks at Acadia Partners’ role in continuing the work, started over 100 years ago, to protect this place for future generations.

This is the second of a series of three short writings that talk about Acadia Partners’ mission. The first piece focused on the place where Acadia Partners is located, since Acadia Partners’ mission is rooted in the importance of place. This second installment looks at the question of who we have to thank for preserving this place and keeping it available to the public.

This is the first of a series of three short writings that talk about Acadia Partners’ mission. This first piece focuses on the place where Acadia Partners is located, since Acadia Partners’ mission is rooted in the importance of place.