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Home My WebLink About2008-02-04; Parks & Recreation Commission; 0208-6; Nature Deficit DisorderPARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL AB#: MTG. DATE: 0208-6 02/04/08 STAFF: [ELLIOTT NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER X INFO ACTION RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept and file ITEM EXPLANATION: At the December 7, 2007 Commission meeting, Commissioner Hubbard inquired about a condition being called "Nature Deficit Disorder", a phrase coined by San Diego author Richard Louv to describe the impact on youth from a lack of interaction with nature. According to Mr. Louv, Nature Deficit Disorder has resulted from the large number of children and teens spending less time outdoors in unstructured play and more time watching television, playing video games, etc. The condition is particularly evident in large cities. Staff advised the Commission that they would return with a report on Nature Deficit Disorder and some of the efforts being taken in Carlsbad to encourage youth to participate in nature and other outdoor activities. EXHIBITS: 1. Nature Deficit Disorder Staff Report dated January 9, 2008 2. Union Tribune article dated November 28, 2007 EXHIBIT 1 January 9, 2008 TO: Recreation Services Manager - Spickard FROM: Recreation Area Manager - Elliott RE: CARLSBAD'S ROLE IN REDUCING THE IMPACT OF "NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER" PURPOSE To present a summary of how the lack of outdoor 'nature' activities may impacts youth development, and provide a listing of Carlsbad programs that provides access to nature for our youth. BACKGROUND For decades, sociologists have carped that kids spend too much time watching TV. But this is more than that. Growing documentation suggests that a generation of Americans has lost touch with the natural environment. Reasons could include parental fears, urbanization, concern about injury-related lawsuits, saturation marketing by the computer and electronic games industries, new ways of accessing the media, and a shift in population trends and social values. "Nature Deficit Disorder" refers to the disturbing trend that children are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of health problems that are having dramatic impacts on children and youth. Health-care workers notice a lack of stamina in America's youth, slower muscle development, lower levels of Vitamin D and acute disinterest in traditional recreational activities. Louv, author of 'Last Child in the Woods' links children's alienation from nature to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, stress, depression and anxiety disorders, not to mention childhood obesity. While no one's suggesting the trend isn't irreversible, some in government and outdoors groups voice concern about the long-term developmental, social and financial impact of a condition that Louv has dubbed "nature-deficit disorder." Symptoms include: • 80 percent of children under age 2 and more than 60 percent of children 2-5 do not have access to daily outdoor play (according to the Playing for Keeps organization). • The average American child watches TV or plays computer games 6 hours per day - twice the yearly hours spent in school (The Kaiser Family Foundation). • State parks and the National Park Service report a 10 percent to 20 percent drop in visitation (National Parks Service). • Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 6 1/4 hours a day with electronic media. (Kaiser Family Foundation). Free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient. National polls indicate "children and teenagers play outdoors less than young people did in the past. Between 1997 and 2003, the proportion of children ages 9 to 12 who spent time hiking, walking, fishing, playing on the beach, or gardening declined 50 percent," according to a University of Maryland study. CONCLUSION The Carlsbad Recreation and Arts Departments, along with other outside organizations offers a wide variety of outdoor activities that incorporate the city's natural environment. Areas include Batiquitos Lagoon, Aqua Hedionda Lagoon, Pacific Ocean, Hosp Grove Trails, and Aviara Trails are just a few of the resources that the city uses to help get the community active and out in nature. The attached list gives you an idea of the number of programs offered in Carlsbad that were designed with the intent to educate and help to develop a relationship with nature for the Carlsbad youth. BONNIE L. ELLIOTT Attachment Nature Designed Programs • Aqua Hedionda Lagoon o Bats in your Belfry Halloween Bash • Batiquitos Lagoon o Winter Waterland o If it Quacks like a Duck o Tour of Sea World Hatchery o St. Patrick's Bird Stroll o Spring Blooms o What's Buggin' You o Walk Like an Indian o The Rookery Rocks o Looking for Reptiles o Serendipity o Feet and Feathers o End of Summer, beginning of Fall o Kayaking o Estuaine Habitats o Health of the Lagoon o Finding Faults o Dabbling and Diving ' o Low Tide at Ponto Beach o Low Tide at Swami's o Archeology of Batiquitos Lagoon • Recreation Department Special Events o Arbor Day Event o National Trails Day o Trail Blast o Snores & S' mores o Fall Festival • Recreation Department Enrichment Classes o Kayaking • Arts Department Camp o Club Pelican Other programs that have a portion of activities out in nature: • Preschool • Traditional Camps o Kidz Camp o Counselor In Training Camp o Pee Wee Camp o Explorer Camp • After School Programs o CIT After School 73.eog CD .0 5-, CD O)s i «il 111Ag-i• ft;p-1 ,3 1 B) g2JP ?Jj•siii IJ--,,gil. iSH*ii;lll/IHiilf * «31 s •s EXHIBIT 2 1C FRONT PAGE I Wednesday, November 28,2007 Richard Louv, shown at Mission Trails Regional Park, tecrwlitwlwtthblending academic researct) •'arid personal observations in a *ay that stirs people to action. Robert Burroughs : •<> * RICHARD LOUV CONTINWEO FROM PACE *1 ,_. 'Nature-deficit disorder'is his signature phrase what happens when it gam out there. This time,< do." Louv spoke from New Hampshire shortly after giviu?-; the keynote address during a forum on the stage's "Leave No Child Inside" program. He one or more venues per week, including those in count-ic; such as Canada and the Neth-erlands. The whole world is urbaniz- ing, so this is1. > i redly a discon- nection in raamv many cul- tures," Louv sakL ' .; Aflrritings about the 'tester- siwe power of nature go back at least to tihe IBttKentury poet WaJt Whitman, but Louv is credited wjiU blending academ- ic research and persona! obser- vations in a way that Mb* peo- ple to action. • "He has struck a chord that BO «M«r«Ise has struck before, and if a critically important for children's education, children's health and the> Mure M the, environmental movement,*! said John Flicker, i.^-i-ieul of the National Audubon Society J The organization's medal .comes with no monetary award, but it is one of the most prestigious honors given in the, United States'-for environroeih talwork i " -' .. Past recipients include au- thor Rachel Carson, whose book "Silent Spring" helped launch the modern environ- mental movement; former President Carter; and re- nowned Harvard University bi- ologist Edward Wilson, Anne Fege, former chief of Ctevetend National Forest anda prominent advocate of out- door education, praised Louv's ;&! iity to articulate a baek-to-nat- ture vision that can be shared across many disciplines and ideologies. "If* not enough to leave it to educators or the environmental community or the scientists. It needs to be a community val- ue," Fege said. As a, teenager, Louv started writing a column about fishing for his community newspaper in Kansas. That eventually led him to a lengthy career with the Uwo&Tritotiie and other publj- cations. Through his newspa- per writings, Louv developed many of the concepts about na- : ture, family and eduction that have shown up in his seven books. .tie also developed a local M 'i-.y./ing. "He more or toss vali- dated what we'd been saying for along, long time about the importance of nature in our fives," said Eric Bowtby, who runs the Sierra Club's Canyons Campaign in San Diego. Bowlby credits Louv with helping establish a solid foun- dation for the canyons project which emphasizes nature edu-M»tton,~Otb««:...local- projects spurred by Louv include a ' fledging outdoor'learning pro- gram in the San Diego UnifiedSchool District The children just absolutely love it. .i'', It is just really giving them an opportunity to get out of the house and play and ex- plore, hi today's society, thafs fnot whafs really reinforced," said Ginger Crutchfield, direc- itor of children's programs for Harmonium. The nonprofit group runs after-school activi- ties at downs of local schools, including four nature programs in partnership with the localAudubon Society. On the national level, "Last Child in the Woods" inspired the No ChOd Left Uiside Act of 2007, legislation that would ere-., ate incentives for schools and , states to establish or expand nature education programs. . The biB is expected to be at- tached to the reauthorization of(fee No Child Left Behind law early next year, said Brian :Day, director of the North American Association for Environmental Education in Washington, D,C. **(Louv is) probabty the best- known advocate for the cause right now," Day said. "He iseverywhere, and bless him for doing it because ,.. what he has done is enlist &e public behindus." Despite LouVs recent rise in fame, friends and colleagues said he remains humble and astute as a husband and a fa- ther of two adult sons. "One of his many charms is that he always is looking deeply at what is going on," said Jean- nette DeWyze, a- San Diego writer who has known Louv for. more than two decades, "He brings that to his interpersonal ..relationships, top;* Lory's wife of 29 years,. Kathy Frederick Louv, said her husband thrwes op speaking to hundreds or even thousands of people, but-thai the pak year has teaed Ms endurance, "He's very gratified by the : ;s!ji-at»n... and he knows how many kids he is helping. When he la ghing his talks, lie feels :great, but afterward he's tired,"; i she said. Louv's last regular column in the UHWM-TrUmnt • appeared Jan. 9. InJt, he looked ahead to his new life shepherding the//; movement Aat he helped tospawn. "This issue has an almos pri-mal power to tortng people t«r- gether— people who may not agree on very much, people who then begin to think B>bouthealth care, education, th« de-. sign of our neighborhoods and cities In new ways," he wrote. Louv intends to write anoth- er book about the human rela- tionship with nature as soon as he can break -away from the lecture circuit,. He also would ike to do more fishing than he can squeeze in on (he fly. "I havwrt done much of that lately," Louv said. "I have na- ture-deficit disorder.". ; MHu UK (619) 542-4570;