Gathering and Using Little Bits

One of the things that I noticed from the Special Park Districts Forum was something that I have also seen at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. That is, how so many of the staff members really love what they do. This is not only their vocation, but their advocation. We have full time employees that get off of work and then go out in the field to volunteer as amphibian monitors.

This is a real benefit when someone asks them questions about nature. They will take the time to really teach about the subject. I have learned so much at these Forums just by asking questions as we were walking from one site to another. Whether we were talking about best management practices for the natural resources, or how to better engage the public about nature, these individuals have really given me insight into how to improve our preserves.

One concept that was intriguing was threshhold opportunities. They had a playground next to a redwood forest. The point was to bring people to the threshhold of nature and then to encourage the people at the playground to go into the forest and learn about what is there. Maybe they would find a banana slug. We should look into how to teach people about nature as they go about their golf game. The same can be said in the dog parks, on the trails, at the archery range, etc. Look for more of this in the not too distant future.