Florida Fish Busters’ Bulletin - Fishing remains a fun, healthy tradition available to everyone
September 29, 2008
Freshwater fishing is one of the many outdoor recreational activities encouraged by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The FWC views outdoor recreation as a tremendously beneficial opportunity that should be available to all residents and visitors, and it strives to provide quality fishing, hunting and wildlife-viewing opportunities.Â
Cheryl Charles, president of the Children and Nature Network, points out, “People throughout the world are increasingly connected by a resonance and passion, to create a new common sense for the good health of children today and generations to come.”Â
Dr. Andrew Lepp, assistant professor of recreation, park and tourism management at Kent State, said the benefits from outdoor recreation are varied and plentiful. Outdoor recreation has psychological benefits, including the prevention or reduction of stress and improved self-esteem, confidence and creativity. Lepp also contends it adds to spiritual growth and leads to an increased sense of exhilaration, adventure and challenge from life. Getting outside provides physical benefits, such as aerobic, cardiovascular and muscular fitness, as well as improved functioning of the immune system.
It even offers benefits for the social life. The great outdoors affords social benefits, such as bonding with like-minded people who also enjoy outdoor activities, and feeling an increased pride in your community and nation.
The economy benefits from all of this activity as well. Outdoor recreation creates job opportunities for others, which leads to economic growth and preservation of the natural areas needed for outdoor recreation increases property values. The workplace wins because people who regularly participate in outdoor recreation tend to be more productive at work, Lepp said.
The list continues with positive outcomes for the environment. People who participate in outdoors activities usually have increased environmental awareness. This awareness translates to increased involvement in environmental issues.
Specific activities such as fishing can add to the enthusiasm and provide a fun challenge to become increasingly skillful. In Florida, the abundance of natural waters (7,700 named lakes, 12,000 miles of fishable rivers and canals) means the opportunity is available to everyone. From digging worms and making your own cane pole, to casting a lure, you develop a connection with nature that comes naturally and has been an American tradition since long before Mark Twain’s tales of the adventurous Huck Finn.
Every year the FWC works with the Florida Disabled Outdoor Association at its Sportsability event, and this year we joined them at the Family CafĂ© event in Orlando. These opportunities reinforce the pure fun of experiencing nature, and we redouble our commitment to making fishing accessible for everyone.Â
Clay Dyer - a professional bass fisherman who was born without lower legs, no arm on the left and a partially developed arm on the right - inspired hundreds of individuals with physical and mental challenges during his motivational presentation at the Family Café event. Clay is a hero and inspiration to virtually everyone he touches with his life story, which he calls “The View from Down Here is Just Fine.” He is also a spokesperson for the C.A.S.T. for kids program.
The FWC is doing its part by teaching kids to fish, sponsoring Becoming an Outdoors-Woman events, helping create bank-fishing access and building accessible boat ramps, courtesy docks and fishing piers. Most importantly, the FWC is dedicated to conserving and enhancing fisheries habitat and fish populations for everyone.Â
We invite you to get outdoors and take someone with you, so you can enjoy all the benefits of getting back to nature.
Instant licenses are available at MyFWC.com/License or by calling 1-888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling *FWC or #FWC on your cell, or 1-888-404-3922. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing/Updates for more Fish Busters’ columns.
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Research Documents Child-Nature Disconnect, Shows “Life’s Better Outside”
June 9, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas — “We have this rock in our yard we call our thinking rock. We’ll go out there and read, and if we see a bird, we look it up in my husband’s bird book.”
Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards values time outside with her two kids. As a pediatrician with Austin Regional Clinic and chair of the Texas Pediatric Society obesity committee, she’s one of a growing number of experts who believe today’s kids are becoming disconnected from nature, and that reconnecting has important benefits.
For the Edwards family, unstructured nature play means playing tag, flying kites, having lunch on the grass or looking for ladybugs. They’ve made time in nature part of daily life.
Recent research shows that is not the case for many Americans today. Author Richard Louv explains this eloquently in his groundbreaking book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.”
A new edition is out this summer, updating the 2006 original with a new field guide for parents and grandparents, 100 actions people can take, nature activities for kids and families and suggestions for transforming communities. It carries a message of hope, but it also reviews a growing body of research that links the nature-deficit problem to issues like childhood obesity, educational and developmental challenges and other ills.
Louv’s book has spawned a nationwide movement. The resulting Children and Nature Network is bringing politicians, pediatricians, educators, architects, environmentalists, wildlife scientists and an astounding diversity of others into an expanding circle of supporters. The group’s Web site (www.childrenandnature.org
) includes two sets of research studies.
One set of research reports by universities, medical institutions and others details the problem, with key findings summarized as follows:
- Children’s use of space has changed from being primarily outdoors to indoors and supervised
- Children spend more of their diminishing free time in structured activities such as sports
- Children spend considerable time with electronic media and multiple forms of media
- Children know more about Pokémon than common wildlife
- Children are walking and bicycling to school less than they used to
- Parents identify safety as the biggest barrier to children’s independent play
The good news is another set of research studies shows great value in reconnecting children with nature, with several key examples summarized as follows:
- Unstructured free play brings cognitive, social and health benefits
- Nature-smart kids get higher test scores
- Outdoor experience for teens has self-reported life-changing results
- Green school grounds foster achievement and responsibility
- Natural settings provide psychological benefits
- Access to nature nurtures self-discipline, reduces stress in children
- Parks bring social, community health and economic benefits
In Texas, the state with the sixth highest number of childhood obesity cases, Dr. Edwards is part of the state’s Children and Nature coalition.
“If we don’t address this issue today, then what we’re facing is in the next generation children will have a much shorter life span than their parents,” Edwards said, noting that the Texas Pediatric Society has developed a Childhood Obesity Toolkit for health care providers. The toolkit encourages limiting the time children spend on TV, video games, and computers and promoting physical activity, including a “healthy lifestyle prescription” that recommends one hour of outdoor play every day.
Other Texas efforts are encouraging urban parents to enjoy state parks and outdoor activities with their children. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department partnered with advertising agency GSD&M, which worked pro bono to create an initiative called Life’s Better OutsideTM. Under the Life’s Better Outside brand, TPWD promotes programs like Texas Outdoor Family weekend workshops where parents and kids learn to pitch tents, cook over campfires and reconnect with nature. This summer and fall, various state parks are starting a new series of Texas Outdoor Family weekends.
Visitors can see what to do and where to go at state parks across Texas on the TPWD Web site, or by picking up a Texas State Park Guide booklet at any state park or at many local tourism bureaus. Campers can make state park reservations online, or by phoning (512) 389-8900. State parks host a wide array of tours and events, all accessible through an online calendar.
This summer, TPWD is continuing the Free Fishing in State Parks program that waives fishing license requirements within more than 50 state parks, including scheduled events at some parks where participants can learn fishing skills, have a chance to hook a fish and perhaps win door prizes like rods and reels. The department also has a new e-newsletter, State Parks Getaways, featuring park profiles, articles about camping, wildlife and other topics and links to park videos and photos. Anyone can sign up to receive the free e-newsletter and other information via the TPWD E-mail Subscription Service.
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