My life, so far, has been immersed in nature and of course it always will be.  It has been inspiring, adventurous and fun.  I have been thrilled by the gorillas in the rainforests of the Congo, the whales of the Pacific, the penguins of the Antarctic and the lions of the Serengeti.  But none of these spectacular experiences has been any more enchanting than the nature I discovered as a young boy in the ravine below our back yard in Toronto [see Chapter 1 in my small book, Thinking Like a Mountain].

Nature always offers adventure since it is always dynamic and full of surprises.  Although it is not usually considered an ‘extreme’ sport, it is not without risks and physical challenges. These, of course, are exactly what is considered ‘fun’, especially for young people. How much better is it to push yourself in the real world than in the virtual world of a video game? One can even add to the sport and competition by keeping lists, for example the number of different species of birds seen in one year. One can challenge one's self or one's buddies. Some parents and school boards worry about the ‘dangers’ of being out in nature. These are negligible compared with the dangers of obesity, and boredom leading to aggression, depression, drugs and increasing suicides.  Recent studies at the University of Illinois indicate that being out in nature (not inorganic playgrounds) decreases ADHD, reduces stress, increases civil behaviour by 80% and increases productivity in school work.  "Green" schools have far fewer colds and incidence of flu [see Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv].

But the overwhelming reason to increase nature study and outdoor education in the schools is nothing short of the salvation of the planet. Almost all scientists and other thinking people say that we are headed in a very destructive direction with the desecration of our atmosphere and life on land and in our waters. These things are nature.  E. O. Wilson has said, "Biodiversity is the creation."  The destruction of biodiversity is a sin against creation and is, in his words, "the death of birth". How can we expect to preserve and protect biodiversity if we don't even know the names of the plants and animals that share our neighbourhood? And, what is worse, if we don't care?

And love is a part of the picture, maybe the most important part. E. O. Wilson has a name for it ... biophilia ... the love of living things.   In contrast to increasing destructive trends towards self-indulgence, this love is generous and gratitude based - gratitude for what nature offers us. You cannot love a human being without knowing that person and you cannot love nature without knowing about it.