America’s widening nature gap

[pete]

Just read this title from the Steamboat Pilot ... interesting as I don't feel overly outdoorsy and a bit surprised at the 17.9% that I seem to fall into, but not due to skiing, I find plenty of fun just going outside to shovel snow off some steps or mowing the lawn. Pretty interesting article but the numbers are pretty stark, makes me wonder the accuracy simply due to the skew. I know my town was trying to be a Blue Zone but now working towards "Healthy Hometown" due to costs.

America’s widening nature gap: Almost half of the U.S. did not go outside to recreate in 2018. What does that mean for Ski Town, USA?

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — On the same day as the start of the Outdoor + Snow Show in Denver, which claims to be the largest U.S. trade show for the outdoor and winter sports industries, a study became...

www.steamboatpilot.com

actual report link: http://oia.outdoorindustry.org/2019-Participation-Report

 

[Bad Bob]

Ya but they are a lot faster typing with their thumbs.

Those are such sad figures.

 

[socalgal]

Just read the report... thanks for the link! Lots of interesting tidbits of data.

 

[Rostapher]

This is certainly part of a wider area of study. There's a great book called "Last child in the woods" that addresses this issue & also coined the term "nature deficit disorder." It's been a while since I read it, but it's out there if people want to dig deeper. https://www.childrenandnature.org/about/nature-deficit-disorder/

 

[scott43]

I kinda take for granted growing up in the country building tree forts, fishing, swimming and shooting stuff up. I can't even imagine what others haven't been able to see and do. I'm glad for the time being we have a place up north for the kids to have fun at.

 

[Core2]

I start getting very depressed if I don't get outside for a week or two. I don't know how people do it. I guess we are adaptable animals.

 

[scott43]

I start getting very depressed if I don't get outside for a week or two. I don't know how people do it. I guess we are adaptable animals.

Like cockroaches...

 

[GB_Ski]

What's their definition of outdoor? Does Central Park count?

 

[crabjoe]

Do festivals count? Because I do a heck of a lot of wine fests in the summer. LOL

 

[Scruffy]

What's their definition of outdoor? Does Central Park count?

Yes it does; that's why it was built way back in 1857.

It's a shame that in the USA we just build neighborhoods of housing one on top of another with no planing or forethought, except the profits of that building. So what can typically happen is a lot of people live far from open space to recreate. From my casual observation, population centers that are closer, or connected to available open public land or even a beach along the ocean, have more active and healthy residents. i.e. if you have to drive 30 miles or so to go for a hike in nature, you'll probably do a lot less of it than if it's much closer. Then, our children don't get indoctrinated to the outdoors, and we perpetuate an indoor centric lifestyle. Couple that with the fear parents have these days of not letting their children play outdoors unattended, is it any wonder we're seeing a decline. It's sad.

 

[cantunamunch]

Ha! I was just referencing this issue over in the 'What happened to jeans?' thread.

I still think there's an overcompensation in terms of gear purchases for the 'special' occasions of going outside. Hence, no jeans.

 

[Scruffy]

Ha! I was just referencing this issue over in the 'What happened to jeans?' thread.

I still think there's an overcompensation in terms of gear purchases for the 'special' occasions of going outside. Hence, no jeans.

Oh Yeah. Hope springs eternal.

 

[Core2]

Saw this in Nat Geo Mag. Japanese do "forest bathing." This is a great idea.

‘Forest Bathing’ Is Great for Your Health. Here’s How to Do It

'The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in the five senses'

time.com

 

[wooglin]

Couple that with the fear parents have these days of not letting their children play outdoors unattended

That, I think, is the heart of the problem.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Yes it does; that's why it was built way back in 1857.

It's a shame that in the USA we just build neighborhoods of housing one on top of another with no planing or forethought, except the profits of that building. So what can typically happen is a lot of people live far from open space to recreate. From my casual observation, population centers that are closer, or connected to available open public land or even a beach along the ocean, have more active and healthy residents. i.e. if you have to drive 30 miles or so to go for a hike in nature, you'll probably do a lot less of it than if it's much closer. Then, our children don't get indoctrinated to the outdoors, and we perpetuate an indoor centric lifestyle. Couple that with the fear parents have these days of not letting their children play outdoors unattended, is it any wonder we're seeing a decline. It's sad.

Actually, most community planning today prohibits residential development without some sort of playground/open space arrangement being included. Lots of towns are creating pocket parks.

 

[Cameron]

It's hard to believe so few are recreating outdoors. Trying to make campsite reservations these days is getting ridiculous. State and national parks book up often withing minutes or hours of reservations being made available and even with the crappy winter we've had locally our ski hill has been busy damn near every weekend. May the people that are participating are doing so more frequently?

 

[Scruffy]

Actually, most community planning today prohibits residential development without some sort of playground/open space arrangement being included. Lots of towns are creating pocket parks.

Yes, they are seeing the light, but for years there was no planning, so depends on where you are you can get miles of unplanned suburbs.

 

[David Chaus]

Millennials and Gen z often don’t own vehicles so if public transit or ride shares can’t get them someplace, they don’t go.

That said, in the gardening industry there’s a huge resurgence of interest in house plants, because that’s what the younger generations can do in the spaces they live in.

 

[jray]

The best thing I ever did for my kids was to teach them to ski. The second was to read a topo map so they can hike off trail and avoid the "hello how are ya" hikes. It's all about mental health. I think Edward Abbey summed this topic up nicely, "Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself".

 

[SSSdave]

The Steamboat news interpretation of the industry report was somewhat off due to difficulty in interpreting results. A lot of charts, not always clearly described. There is considerable variation ethnically and would also vary much by region if they showed such statistics. The industry group does have state specific numbers and more but having put out the national numbers as a carrot, they want readers to signup as fee members. There are significant areas of our more populated eastern regions with relatively limited opportunities. Out here in California with its wealth of world class outdoor opportunities, pleasant climate, and diverse ethnicity mix, numbers would look rather different versus eastern regions.

For outdoor activities, year to year weather variation also tends to significantly affect participation so comparing 2017 to 2008 has limitations. Comparing it to averages by previous say 5 year spans back a few decades would be more statistically credible if such stats existed. Pages 23 and 30 paint a better picture of the situation. (Although page 30 shows ages 6 to 17, that is obviously a copy mistake to the chart and is certainly instead 18+.) Total participations are not surprisingly down a bit given Millennial attitudes, people addicted to video games, social media, other tech toys, and growing percentages of ethnic minorities. Otherwise Caucasian numbers are relatively flat and one might expect some declines are merely the increasing expense of outdoor activities and difficulty and hassles of doing so without reservations. Just another symptom of over population due to the endless economic and political forces of growth and development.