From towering mountains to tranquil forests, the great outdoors has an intoxicating allure. Immersing oneself in nature promotes emotional well-being, boosts cognitive development, and enhances physical fitness.
Is a tent necessary for camping?
Exploring the great outdoors can be an adventurous experience that pushes boundaries. However, it’s important to remain mindful of one’s surroundings and respect the environment.
Journaling in the Wilderness
In the wilderness, children are natural explorers. They use all of their senses to observe the world around them, touch what they can reach, and smell and taste when they’re allowed to. They run and jump and climb, and learn as they go.
As they explore the mountains and valleys of Plumas County’s Upper Feather River Watershed, kids in our Outdoor Core program carry a simple but transformative tool: their nature journal. Each page becomes a window into their weekly adventures.
Many OE programs encourage or require students to write in journals as a means of processing experience and developing deeper understandings (Bennion & Olsen, 2002; Gregg, 2009). Journaling is an important learning strategy for many reasons. It fosters self-awareness, increases confidence in technical outdoor skills, and promotes the development of relationships with the outdoors.
Foraging
The process of gathering wild edibles is a great way to connect with nature and add more variety to camp meals. This skill is vital in a survival situation, as it can help you save on grocery bills and build up your food bank.
Foragers should always be aware of the area they are harvesting in and any foraging guidelines that may exist. They should also leave some of the plants for wildlife, as they often depend on wild edibles for survival.
Luckily, there are many easily identifiable wild foods that can be found in all regions of the United States. Whittaker’s menu includes seasonal, foraged creations like conifer gnocchi, which whispers of eucalyptus and citrus, and nettle risotto that sings with a green vegetal hit.
Blogging
In a time of heightened stress levels due to political unrest, economic instability and environmental concerns, outdoor exploration can help people feel calmer and grounded. As a result, the summer solstice offers an ideal time to hike and explore new trails with friends or family to make memories that will last a lifetime.
Social movements like Unlikely Hikers, Afro Outdoors, Latino Outdoors, Body Inclusive Hikers, Melanin Base Camp and disability advocates are working to dismantle tent to live in the stereotype that only a certain type of person enjoys outdoor recreation and advocate for accessibility and inclusion in public lands. Without equitable access, people are less likely to be inspired to spend time outdoors, which can negatively impact health. Access to public lands includes access to public transportation, adequate funding for equipment and training, culturally appropriate signage, education, knowledge of wilderness safety and advocacy for inclusion and diversity.
Collaboration
One of the worst trends in modern day wilderness conservation is collaborations that include government agencies and large-scale, supposedly "conservation" groups. The collaboration dynamic legitimizes the view that mechanized off-road recreation (including mountain bikes, dirt bikers and all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and logging) is an acceptable use of roadless public lands. This approach treats wildlands as little more than a pie for self-interested user groups and ignores the intrinsic value of wildlife habitat in these high quality, low-elevation areas. As a result, these collaboratives almost always result in watered down Wilderness proposals. This was the case with the Gallatin Forest Partnership, or GFP.
Mentorship
Investing time into emerging young conservation leaders enables us to find solidarity and solutions, bridge the generational gap, and create an intergenerational community committed to respectful stewardship of the land. We strive to cultivate a deep and respectful relationship between people and nature through multi-generational interaction, education, and co-creation.
The workshop includes immersive experience in core routines such as wildlife tracking, bird language, survival skills, herbal & medicinal plants, and awareness games. This training is open to parents, children, grandparents, caregivers, teachers, permaculturists and other environmental educators and naturalists.
Returning student mentors provide current Blue Ridge students healthy student-mentor relationships and encouragement, while also modeling consistent effort and adaptive emotional regulation. We call this Coyote Mentoring. This is an ongoing approach to building healthy nature connected communities.
When was the first tent invented?
