Nature News

By: Carol Suits
Liberty Wildlife Volunteer

In this month’s Kid Stuff, we ask a question, challenge you to fun activities, and show you what some Liberty Wildlife Kids are doing on campus.

By: Gail Cochrane
Liberty Wildlife Volunteer

Have you had your Vitamin N today?  It turns out that we humans need time in nature.  As Howard Frumkin, dean of public health at University of Washington puts it, “E.O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis embodies the idea that we evolved as a species embedded in nature over most of our existence, and something about that nature contact still resonates with us. Something about contact with nature is soothing and restorative and thereby good for mental health.”

So set down the screen, get out of the chair and head outside. You may have to go no further than your own backyard.  Native landscaping is popular now, and no wonder.  Plant a few native trees, shrubs and groundcover; add a water feature, and presto!  You can absorb Vitamin N and a healthy dose of relaxation while watching the wildlife that flocks to your natural retreat to feed, nest and find shelter.

Gardening is another great nature experience.  In this case the rewards are multitudinous as you have the satisfaction of polishing your green thumb and bringing plants along from seed to harvest. You could have the ultimate in food security, and save money on produce. Perhaps your garden is just a few pots with radishes and lettuce for salads.  Or maybe you go all out and raise enough food to carry you through the season.

There’s even more to be glad about gardening.  Studies reveal that contact with soil makes us happy.  Recent studies indicate that treatment with a specific soil bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, may alleviate depression. The bacteria, when injected into mice, activates a set of serotonin-releasing neurons in the brain—the same nerves targeted by Prozac.*

Air flights in and out of Sky Harbor provide a bird’s eye view of the parks and greenbelts that grace the Valley.  People who live near parks and open space are more physically active. In fact, older, urban residents who have places to walk and access to parks and tree-lined streets live longer. Trees and natural areas may bolster a sense of community by drawing people together and enhancing social connections.**

Desert Botanical Gardens and Boyce Thompson Arboretum are two world class gardens that await your nature adventures. Take the kids along to see birds, lizards, insects and amazing collections of plants. Wandering in these peaceful settings allows for relaxation and inspiration.  Several Valley cities have created wild spaces around water treatment facilities.  Gilbert Riparian Preserve and Tres Rios are treasure troves of wildlife watching opportunities.  Rio Salado at the Salt River bed has a collection of riparian retreats, adjacent to Liberty Wildlife’s campus.

City planners and nature advocates have preserved open space in the Valley from the early days and continue to do so. The Sonoran Desert is rich in biodiversity with fascinating and unusual plants, animals and geography.  Hiking allows us to immerse ourselves in nature as our feet trod on the bare skin of the earth itself and our senses absorb the sights, smells and sounds of the natural world.  Don’t forget to bring water, and kids.

Recently, news surfaced that recent editions of Oxford Junior Dictionary for youngsters had dropped nature words like acorn, dandelion, nectar, fern, pasture and willow.  The substitutions were words such as broadband, blog, MP3 player and voice-mail..***   There is no denying the mesmerizing attractions of technology for kids and adults. But in the same way we don’t eat junk food 24/7, we can’t forget that our bodies and minds are programmed to connect with the natural world. We must help our young people build attachments to the Earth so they will appreciate and fight for it in the future.

So do it for yourself, do it for future generations.  Get out and enjoy nature.

* Discover Magazine

** Cornell University Dept. of Design and Environmental Analysis

*** Landmarks, by Robert Macfarlane

*Previously published in 2016