“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” (Rachel Carson, 1956).

This feeling, so eloquently expressed by Rachel Carson, is what motivates many of us to be environmental educators. We are that link that ensures our youth never lose that “sense of wonder” that only experiences with the natural world can bring. As frustrating as it may be sometimes to fight the battles of apathy, indifference, and issues that seem beyond our control, it is all rewarded in the end when we see a child’s face light up when they see an alligator for the first time, experience the pride in completing a nature garden they have designed and built, and marvel at the purple martins as they fly around the new home they have set up in their school yard. In the short time that Natural Legacy has been part of the environmental community in Houston - almost 2 years - I have had the good fortune to experience all of these things first hand.

Natural Legacy was founded in July 2000 with the hope of connecting youth to the natural world through an innovative approach. We work with students long-term (1-2 years on a weekly basis), through a combination of hands-on, multidisciplinary instruction and opportunities for youth to creatively express what they learn about nature through the arts. We also guide the students in the development and implementation of a stewardship project that benefits the school and community and enables the student to apply skills learned in class. And of course, each program varies school to school because we develop them to fit the needs of the community and the desires of the students. All programs are community-based.

Whenever a program begins, I am constantly surprised at the extent to which students are disconnected from the natural world. There can be several reasons for this including the fact that technology, while advancing society, has also removed students from the outdoors and that many students grow up in environments where “youth have few, if any opportunities to experience nature other than what our urban parks, vacant lots and backyards provide” (Gary Nabham, Geography of Childhood).

Whatever the cause, I know that when we started our yearlong program at Yates High School in September 2001, only 3 of the 35 students had ever visited a natural area and none could recognize a hummingbird when shown a picture. There is no doubt though that students realize the impact that nature has on their lives when given the chance to explore it, learn about it, and do something to protect and preserve it. After an entire year of instruction at Yates High School that afforded us the opportunity to teach in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife and Yates High School instructors, the youth we taught have successfully built a wildscape on their school campus. They have learned about the environment and how to implement this newfound knowledge. Their designs that started out on a landscape plan are now reality. And the wooden posts brought in are now benches and arbors that they built. They now know the four basic components of habitat, understand the benefits of native plants, and are familiar with what types of wildlife exist in our local ecosystem. They have worked as a team and have seen the benefits of thoughtful and purposeful action. Most importantly, as was expressed by ninth grader Ashlon Smith, “I appreciate all living things now.”

“As cities and suburbs forsake their natural diversity, and their citizens grow more removed from personal contact with nature, awareness and appreciation retreat. This breeds apathy toward environmental concerns and, inevitably, further degradation of common habitat” (Robert Michael Pyle, The Thunder Tree). The youth of today will be the stewards of tomorrow. They will be the ones in charge of city departments, organizations, civic associations, and households. What they do not learn about now, they will feel no need to preserve and protect later in life.

The link to environmental education that our community provides is incredibly vital in creating future land stewards. Environmental education coupled with service in the community encourages students to take responsibility for their quality of life. And while not the only reason for teaching environmental education, it inevitably results in more conscious citizens. Environmental education takes students away from frequent test drilling and engages students’ minds and hands, often in real world investigations that are inquiry-based, interdisciplinary, and supportive of hands-on curriculum (Archie, 2000). Environmental education helps familiarize students with careers in environmental fields, which according to the Task Force on Women, Minorities and the Handicapped in Science and Technology, represent a significant source of skilled jobs with good pay for low-income persons.

And I believe our resources in environmental education are an asset to teachers and administrators. According to a national report by the Survey Research Center, while 83% of K-4 teachers incorporate environmental topics, the percentage drops to 58 percent for 5-8 grade teachers and only 44% for high school teachers. The report also found that only a few environmental topics such as recycling and solid waste management were being taught on a regular basis. Also a lack of preparation by teachers makes it difficult for them to incorporate environmental topics. In the same study, prior to becoming teachers, only 10% of the respondents had taken courses in environmental teaching methods and less than a third (26%) had taken prior coursework in environmental science, ecology, or environmental studies.

John Muir said, “The river flows not past, but through us.” Natural Legacy is honored to serve the environmental community by creating a vehicle for engaging students at a community level to understand and appreciate nature. I hope that we all continue to realize that, just as it is important for us to stock our classrooms with computer labs so that our children may excel in the business world, it is also important for them to have experiences with nature for the quality of life on this planet.

To learn more about Natural Legacy’s programs, please visit their website at www.naturallegacy.com or call Debbie Rhodes, Executive Director, 713-590-5193.