Bowling for Slocan
A tributary to the Columbia River in British Columbia, the Slocan River flows pure out of the Slocan Lake, a 30-mile long, 1,000 foot deep feature on the landscape, it is a high-gradient system that runs fast and produces noticeably “heavy water” in depths as shallow as 24 inches. Having spent a couple of long days floating and getting to know this basin, our small expedition of conservationists stopped for dinner at a place called the “Dam Inn”. A group of locals watched attentively a bowling documentary on how technique had changed over time. They evidently had no lanes around, and were shocked at the 10 pound heft of an average bowling ball and amazed that I held (and would readily give up) such secret knowledge. With an “aw shucks”, I explained that I had a bowling unit in junior high P.E. class.
Of course, this blog has nothing to do with bowling.
The point here is that we do not understand things that we do not engage directly. While this is true for any subject matter, in a digital age, where students are growing up with less connection to the natural world than ANY generation before them, perils mount. The demands we place on natural resources will continue to grow. The decisions of management will get harder, not easier. One of our jobs is to ensure that our students [read: future citizens] are engaged in their local environment and properly-tooled to consider and handle the issues of their time.
Today, by passing the “No Oregon Child Left Inside (NOCLI) Act”, on the House side, Oregon took a step toward environmental literacy. Tiered to federal legislation doing the same thing, it seeks to inject the context of local watersheds into state education goals, standards, and benchmarks. Cognizant of natural boundaries as well as political ones, only a society of water literate, engaged citizens understand the water content, costs, and values of the goods we create and consume—and act accordingly. Only such a group can ensure that local economies are sustained and sustainable. It’s a good day to be a kid.
- Joe Whitworth's blog
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