Why did you choose the "green" field?

Did your interest begin in childhood, chasing bugs and frogs, getting all muddy in creeks and forests?

I buy Lee Hansen's theory (and the research of many experts she cites in her article, p. 22) that kids who explore and experience nature grow up to be adults with an inherent commitment to the environment.

Lee's backyard was adjacent to a field that afforded years of fun and discovery. That is, until the field was razed and paved for a shopping mall.

Throughout my wonder years, our family's rural Minnesota home sat next-door to a 75-acre public park with an extensive network of cross-country ski trails. In the '70s, my father served on the local park board and campaigned for a referendum to secure that open space plus four other parks for all time for our community. Now the park is frequented by avid skiers from across Minneapolis and St. Paul.

In Trend Watch (p. 38), a recent survey by Roper Starch Worldwide finds that adults for whom outdoor recreation was important as a child are now more satisfied with their family life, leisure activities, career choices and the general overall quality of their lives.

And you just can't get that green feeling from vicarious nature experiences via the Discovery Channel and the Internet.

So thank goodness Illinois has influential forces for nature education and preservation:

• people who make sure kids and adults have opportunities to wade and wonder in the natural world, like David Brooks, manager of conservation services for the Schaumburg Park District (p. 3, about the cover);

• groups like "Neighbors for Open Space," whose successful $75 million referendum for open space is a landmark victory for the people of DuPage County and their future generations (p. 26); and

• statewide advocates such as members of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association.

Thank goodness, indeed. After all, a kid can't run his toes through concrete.*

ANN LONDRIGAN
Editor
4 ¦ Illinois Parks and Recreation