About CLS

President’s Message – Fall/Winter 2007

Mary Lee Maloy

Because I recently went home to St. Louis for a family reunion, many childhood memories have flooded my thoughts. I grew up in the perfect suburban neighborhood. . . we walked everywhere! We had big yards, vegetable and flower gardens, plenty of trees to climb, and the freedom to play. In the summer my family went to a remote lake in northern Wisconsin. We hiked, fished, swam, and played. On clear nights, we sat on the dock and watched shooting stars and the Northern lights. It was idyllic!

My own children were raised in Upper St. Clair, and they were lucky, too. We have a big yard with woods in the back and Wiltshire Park at the end of the street. They had the freedom to explore the world around them. . . make dandelion soup, catch lightning bugs in the summer, and play in the creek.

Last Child in the Woods cover.

Tracey Buckman recently loaned me the book "Last Child in the Woods - Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder", by Richard Louv. It is alarming to read how little time children today spend outdoors! Studies show young people can identify 1000 corporate logos but fewer than 10 plants or animals that are native to their own yard. Watching television and playing video games have become the activities of choice for so many children. As one 4th grader in San Diego put it “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.” Louv links the lack of outdoor playtime with childhood obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder and depression. He makes a compelling case and offers real solutions. His book is thorough and insightful.

Louv explains that it takes time; “loose, unstructured dreamtime—to experience nature in a meaningful way. Unless parents are vigilant, such time becomes a scarce resource.” Today, our lives and our children’s lives are so full of structured activities that, there isn’t much value placed on natural play.

Here in USC, we have beautiful green spaces, private and public, for our children to enjoy. Boyce-Mayview Park is a prime example. However, we have to get our children outside! Nature instructs our children. When they spend time in nature, they learn to care and relate that concern to the environmental issues that they will be facing, taking the first step toward becoming the future stewards of the land.

We all need a wake-up call! Remember what your Mom used to say, “GO OUT AND PLAY!”

If you are not already a member of USC Citizens for Land Stewardship and wish to join, please print our Membership Form and return it to us.

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