June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 40

can also find close-to-home nature
places almost anywhere. Look for a
nature place with a pond, wetlands or
" edge " habitat - for example, forest
land that is next to the edge of a field,
a natural habitat area along a stream
or the edge of a shoreline. These are
ideal places to find and identify many
different species of wildlife.
Turn your trip to the park into
a nature discovery trek. Build
the anticipation in kids that you will
find neat wildlife if you just open
your senses to it. Start looking for it
as soon as you go out the door. To
your surprise, you will find it close
by. You will be amazed at what you
are able to see if you devote even a
small amount of attention to finding
wildlife in nearby places. And success in finding wildlife will lead to
excitement - kids who see a bird, insect or mammal will be encouraged
to look for more, and the experience
will sharpen their senses to find and
share more.
Think big and think small at the
same time. " Watchable wildlife "
is not just megafauna like eagles,
owls, deer and bears. It also includes
songbirds, frogs, salamanders and
insects - smaller creatures that are
easy for kids to find if they sit on a
log for a minute to listen and look, or
if they go exploring along a stream.
This kind of wildlife is easy for kids
to find if they flip over a rock on
the edge of a stream and look to see
what scoots away. So, if you can't
find big wildlife, look for small wild-

life - you can find insects almost
anywhere. Dragonflies, beetles and
worms are every bit as interesting
to kids as a deer or red-tailed hawk
- and it is generally OK to temporarily and gently detain insects and
amphibians to let kids have a closer
look. Just be sure to return them unharmed to their same habitat.
Look up, look down, look all
around. Wildlife can be found
everywhere. No matter where you
go, you can find birds flying, reptiles
crawling, and butterflies and bees
alighting on flowers. If you can't
find wildlife easily, scan natural habitat and edge areas for silhouettes
that are out of the ordinary. Many
people are astonished at how much
wildlife an experienced naturalist
can find even in the densest urban
areas, but it is just a pattern-recognition skill that comes with practice.
And don't be too concerned about
identifying everything you see. Yes,
it is good if you can put a name on
the wildlife you find, but if you can't
identify all you see, try to remember
field markings, patterns, stripes and
colors that stand out and help you
identify what you saw when you
get home. Learning the names of
the wildlife you see is important for
kids, but just naming what you see
isn't what gives the satisfaction -
it is the act of seeing the wild, free
things that are alive in nature that
builds a sense of wonder.
Remember that almost all wildlife depends on camouflage. Yes,

Is Your Agency Signed On to the
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Visit www.nrpa.org/10MillionKidsOutdoors to see the list of participating agencies,
and if yours is not listed, please join us to help reach our goal of enlisting 1,000 park
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Parks & Recreation

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you need to be able to pierce through
the defenses that nature gives wildlife
to deceive predators, but it is not that
difficult. In fact, this is what makes
wildlife watching fun - it's " Where's
Waldo " in the outdoors. Patience and
observation will be rewarded. Wildlife
doesn't instantly present itself to us,
but once you get into the rhythms of
woods and wetlands, you'll become a
part of the natural environment and
will be able to find that almost all the
wildlife that lives there is accessible to
you and to kids as well.
Don't make it a chore. You don't
have to spend a lot of time outdoors to have great wildlife-viewing
experiences with kids. In fact, doing
this activity in short takes may be a lot
more appealing to kids than setting a
designated amount of time to go out.
Let them determine how much time
they want to spend, and be flexible.
If you don't find much, pack it in and
come back another time. A great side
benefit of going out to watch wildlife
is to turn your wildlife walk or bike
ride into a regular occurrence, one
that improves your health and mental outlook. Both you and your kids
will get better at it, and you will get
healthier while doing so.
If you need additional tips, check
out this list of apps and other resources that can help bridge the gap between tech-focused kids and their natural surroundings: www.nwf.org/~/
media/PDFs/Kids-and-Nature/
App_Descriptions_with_Commen
tary.ashx. Take the plunge and dive
into nature - you can find watchable
wildlife anywhere. Just grab your kids
and set your mind to it. There is an
exciting world of wildlife to discover
right outside your door.

Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA's Vice President of
Conservation and Parks (rdolesh@nrpa.org).

June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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