University of Illinois researchers have claimed that they have found evidence pointing to a fundamental shift away from an interest in nature recreation in this country.
They used census data that showed a decline in recent years among visits to national parks and forests, state parks, and Bureau of Land Management properties, as well as a decrease in the number of various game licenses issued. They also surveyed folks on whether or not they had been camping, hiking or backpacking in the past year.
Through these methods they found that the trend away from nature recreation started in this country between 1981 and 1991, and that participation in these activities is currently down anywhere from 18 to 25 percent.
While Newsdesk agrees that there are a great many people who need to get out more, this specific study may not be entirely complete.
What about bicycling? Golfers? What about the countless unwashed masses who gather each sunny day to chill out at places like the Greenbelt? They may say the trend is toward higher participation in outdoor activities, in every sense of the word.
Of course, the concern of the Illinois researchers, after finding their alleged downturn in our appreciation of the great outdoors, was that if these trends continue, future generations will not appreciate nature, ecosystems may suffer even worse than they currently are and parking lots may outnumber trees in this country at some point. These concerns are well-founded.
To that end, if anyone wants to set up a field trip to LBJ National Historic Park, we’re listening.
This article appears in February 8 • 2008.