Connecting kids to nature

Bora still remembers his response when he was asked what it means to conserve land.

"As a kid, at the time I thought, 'Oh, well, you go around hugging trees and making sure the trees are OK. You plant them and that's all you have to do. You water them every day,'" he said. "But it's more than that."

Bora knows better now. After connecting with nature, he knows it's about finding a balance between "us as human and nature." That's because he was part of the Compass Environmental Adventures Program in Lowell, Massachusetts. He and his peers shared their experiences at Rally 2014.

And during their presentation, it quickly became apparent the program did more than teach the students about land conservation.

"When you give a child an afterschool program and you see that they enjoy being there, know that they're not just there for the activity," Andy said. "They're learning about themselves. They're learning how to interact with others. And they're learning about their own health."

Everyone deserves to live in a healthy community and enjoy a connection with nature. When land trusts include more people, we improve more lives — and in turn, we gain broader support for conservation.

We're going to need that support. The U.S. population is expected to grow by 100 million people in 50 years, which means we'll face more pressure to develop land. The population is also growing more diverse — so land trusts need to serve diverse constituents to stay relevant. On top of those demographic changes, many Americans are growing up today without a strong connection to nature. And if they don’t learn to love it, they won’t act to save it.

To make your gift today, please visit donate.lta.org. Thank you in advance for your support.

Josh Lynsen is media relations manager for the Land Trust Alliance.