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Last Child in the Prairie
by Marian Langan
Thursday, May 8, 2008, 7:00
p.m.
Union College, Lincoln
Richard Louv's
book Last Child in the Woods has
brought much-needed attention to the connections between
time spent outdoors and children's
healthy development. There are numerous benefits - weight
loss and decreased symptoms of stress and anxiety, among
many others. It also brought attention to the fact that the
amount of time children spend outdoors has declined drastically.
The benefits of outdoor
activity are important to society, but how do they help nature
and our prairies? Research shows the relationship between
positive experiences in nature as a child and the development
of caring for the natural world. This was the spark for the
National Audubon Society's centers initiative started over
a decade ago, leading to the development of an additional
40 Audubon centers across the U.S., including Spring Creek
Prairie Audubon Center (SCPAC). These centers create hundreds
of thousands of opportunities for children and adults to
experience nature first-hand each year.
For those of us in
Eastern Nebraska, experiencing nature in our native ecosystem,
the tallgrass prairie, can be difficult to do since so little
remains. This May 8 presentation will share how the work
of Wachiska and SCPAC has made a difference. Habitat for
declining grassland birds like meadowlarks and bobwhite has
improved, and opportunities for our community's
children to spend time in nature continue to increase. That
said, the "Last Child in the Prairie" is
still within the realm of possibilities - you
are invited to attend and explore how we can change that.
This program will be followed
on Saturday morning, May 10, with a field
trip to SCPAC.
 Marian
Langan, the director
of SCPAC, has worked for Audubon for nine years. She grew
up in northeast Nebraska and has B.S. and M.S. degrees in
biological sciences from the University of Nebraska, studying
the effects of herbicide runoff on aquatic plants. Marian
came to Audubon from the education department of the UN-L
State Museum at Morrill Hall.
Come join us on Thursday,
May 8, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 03 lower level of Union College's
Dick Administration Building, 3800 South 48th Street in Lincoln.
From 48th and Calvert streets, go one block south to Bancroft
Avenue and turn east onto campus. Continue for two blocks
and park in the lots on the south. The large building to
the south and west is the Dick Building. Look for Audubon
signs on the doors. The public is invited. Refreshments will
be served following the program.
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