by Glenn Olson, Executive Director of Audubon California

By nearly every standard, this generation of Californians exceeds its predecessors in its passion for protecting the environment. More than ever, people are pressuring their leaders, writing letters to the editor, and showing up in droves to advocate for the preservation of our natural treasures. According to a 2007 report by the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly half of California adults felt that the state wasn’t doing enough to protect the environment, and nearly two-thirds felt that the federal government was falling short.

But while this generation is remarkably engaged on the environment, we need to make sure that the next generation is as well. If we don’t, we could easily see some of our remarkable gains erased by an unconcerned public in just a decade or two.

Every conservationist today will tell you that his or her calling came at an early age through personal experience in the outdoors. I’m no different. Growing up in Sacramento, I spent every summer camping with my family in Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, and my uncle and I probably fished every stream in the Western Sierra.

This experience led directly to my first act of environmental advocacy in the seventh grade: an angry letter opposing a plan to build over fields near my home where I chased lizards and garter snakes during the wet season. Soon after, I was helping the Sacramento Audubon Society tabulate its annual Christmas Bird Count, and my lifelong career in conservation had begun.

Unfortunately, throughout California and beyond, children are denied this kind of early connection with nature.

Some of this is due to urbanization, and some to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. According to the 2005 California Health Interview Survey, about 25 percent of the state’s teens report that there is no safe park or open space near their home. This same survey found that about 50 percent of our children watch three or more hours of television a day on weekends, when one would expect kids to be playing outside.

A separate survey from the PPIC in 2007 found that nearly half of parents surveyed said that their children engaged in little or no outdoor nature activities the previous summer.

Children just aren’t spending time outdoors. They aren’t climbing trees or getting their hands dirty or viewing wildlife up close.

It goes without saying that while this trend has ramifications for conservation, it will have an even greater impact on children’s health. Cooped up indoors, children get less physical activity, and find themselves at greater risk for obesity, diabetes and a host of other ailments. Studies have shown that children who regularly interact with nature get better test scores and experience less stress.

Audubon has long made children’s outdoor education a priority at our nature centers and chapters. Audubon California has a long history of support for California State Parks – which provide invaluable outdoor experiences for thousands of children and families each year. This is an integral part of our overall mission to protect and conserve birds, wildlife and habitat.

But the problem is persistent. You would be surprised to hear how many kids we encounter at our centers who don’t know how to play tag or build a sand castle.

In January, Audubon awarded its highest honor, the Audubon Medal, to author Richard Louv, whose 2004 book “Last Child in the Woods” details the tragedy of this disconnect between children and nature. In his acceptance speech, he asked, “If our children don’t learn to love the outdoors at an early age, how can we expect them to care about the spotted owl when they’re older?”

Louv has created a movement around the goal of reconnecting children with the outdoors, and his Children & Nature Network promotes educational and recreational opportunities for thousands of young people. Louv maintains that this mission is just as important for the environment as it is for the children.

It is a sad truth that we will probably always need people out there fighting to protect California’s incredible natural treasures. And we should do everything in our power to make sure that our children are ready to take up that fight when we’re gone.

Photo: children learn about tidepools up close at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary