A Strong Connection

Posted by Amy Jones on March 7, 2007 - 14:30 PM

To share a little about myself, I’m not a scientist.  I’m not a birder, I can’t identify many prairie plants and I don’t know squat about the new Farm Bill.  What I am is the mother of two boys, I was raised in Nebraska and taught by my family that time spent on the land is time well spent. 

I don’t recall ever having specific discussions with my grandparents or parents about appreciating the land.  What I do remember are feelings of joy and pleasure and anticipation at the thought of spending a day on my grandparents’ farm.  Sometimes we would roam the pasture looking for thistles.  Sometimes we’d look for rusty treasure in the dirt path by Grandpa’s shop – the rain would always expose a lost bolt or washer that would inspire a story or memory that Grandpa was anxious to share.  And sometimes we’d just play, free to run around and explore what seemed to be an endless stretch of farmyard, pasture and cropland.

As a kid I never imagined that other kids weren’t having the same experiences, that there were people who never had the chance to run through a pasture or fish in a pond.  When I became a mom, however, I lacked a place to get my kids out to re-create my experiences or find their own adventure. We’re two hours from my grandparents’ farm, so we don’t get there as much as we’d like, and living in town I didn’t know how to find a location where they could explore a rural setting.

Enter Prairie Plains.  In the almost three years that I’ve been involved with the Institute my kids have helped burn and plant prairie, gone on countless early morning bird hikes, poked sticks through the ice on the Platte River, found skulls and feathers and cool rocks, splashed in the water of Beaver Creek and spent the night in a tent on top of a hill in the middle of the prairie.  Talk about childhood experiences!  And they’re not even teenagers yet.

An academic appreciation for nature is not a requirement when it comes to impacting the way people feel about their surroundings.  My boys may or may not grow up to be scientists or ecologists, but no doubt their experiences outside exploring, learning and just being kids prepares them to grow up with respect and appreciation for where they come from. 

Hopefully their kids will be prepared too.