A new Borrelia Culture and awareness may increase Lyme Disease literacy in California just in time.

“I’m testing three patients for it right now,” says Dr. Todd Maderis, a leading naturopath running the Marin Natural Medicine Clinic in a county with the highest number of Lyme disease outbreaks in California. He has just returned from a national conference in San Diego on educating medical experts about the early recognition of Lyme disease cases which are too often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as having other ailments.

“Lyme has similar symptoms as chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, MS and ALS, and unless you run a complete lab panel on the bacteria, you won’t be able to see all of the stains and diagnose the disease properly,” explains Maderis, adding that Advance Lab in Pennsylvania has just released a new Borrelia Blood Culture for clinical use in 49 states which will advance better detection. While not available yet in New York, applications have been filed and are pending.

While the western blot has been the preferred serologic test, researchers have found no single blood test is reliable enough to be used alone and physicians are now urged to evaluate all of the markers to be certain of the diagnosis. Lyme combined with co-infections is known as “the great imitator” and about half of the people diagnosed remember having a tick bite.

Maderis says most holistic practitioners have been careful about testing all strains, but this isn’t true of all doctors. “The gold standard is routinely running a complete line panel through IGeneX, inc. Lab in Palo Alto, California which looks at all strains of the Borrelia bacteria plus co-infections, but your local general practitioner down the street won’t know about it.”

That’s a big problem for victims. Thanks to global warming and more cases finally being reported, Lyme disease is the fastest-growing infections disease in the country, doubling since 1991 to over 200,000 cases per year, making it greater than AIDS and the West Nile virus combined. As a result, California health care professionals are boning up on how to better diagnose what can be a debilitating and deadly infection.

While the state doesn’t keep records on outbreaks, Marin has proven fertile ground for the deer tick that carries the illness and many who suffer from the effects such as chills, headaches, brain lesions and brain fog, weakness, joint swelling and paralysis can be in grave danger if left untreated.

One such victim was Bay Area author Amy Tan, who ended up temporarily in a wheelchair since none of doctors considered she might have Lyme when she complained for years about the symptoms. Tan spoke of her experience in the documentary, Under our Skin, directed by Marin filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson of Open Eye Pictures.

“Amy’s story is sadly typical,” said Wilson. “It’s a twofold failure of the medical community: they don’t know the best ways to test for Lyme, and even when they conclude it is Lyme, they can’t agree on how to treat it. ” Compounding that failure is a refusal of insurance companies to pay for treatment since it can result in a long-term illness. Wilson’s own sister was a victim and he suspects many of his neighbors have had the disease, too, since the region is a deer tick hotbed.

Both the film and new books such as Out of the Woods by Katina Makris, a Lyme survivor, strongly emphasize that awareness is key on the part of both health care experts and the public in avoiding, diagnosing and treating the illness in its earliest stages.

In terms of treatment guidelines, Maderis and other Lyme literate doctors look to the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) which offers an exhaustive list of symptoms to check off in patients. Among the weaponry is a combination of antibiotics while sorting out co-infections that often exist and complicate healing. Also administered are nutritional supplements and a yeast-controlled diet. All of these of course must be continually monitored by a health professional.

In the meantime, the public must focus on avoidance. That’s why May is Lyme disease awareness month, aptly timed since spring and summer are the at-risk seasons, and residents are being warned they don’t need to venture deeply into the woods to be exposed. One researcher at a California park found many nymphal ticks lurking under a wooden picnic table.

“Nymphal ticks, the immature ones, can be hard to spot because they are as small as poppy seeds,” explains Phyllis Mervine, president of the California Lyme Disease Association, which maintains an educational website. “They are often in leaf litter or at the base of trees. Adult ticks are often found on the tips of grasses and shrubs. Both immature and adult ticks can transmit the illness.”

She says small children are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of the disease because they are low to the ground and also might pull a tick off of their body without telling anyone. “Parents need to educate themselves about ticks and check their children carefully whenever they’ve been outdoors,” she warns, adding all people should check themselves after spending time outdoors.

“If you do find a tick, remove it and place it in a Ziploc bag with a moist cotton ball and send it to IGeneX for a diagnosis,” Maderis recommends.

In recent weeks, researchers speculated that the direct and indirect effects of global warming will probably increase the incidence of Lyme disease, as well as intensifying the prevalence of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and creating a more mosquito-friendly habitat which will up infection rates.

“One possible way in which temperature may limit tick populations is by increasing the length of their cycle from two to thee years in the north, where it is colder,” explained Maria Diuk-Wasser, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. “Climate change could be reverting that and therefore increasing production of ticks.”

While understanding climate control is extremely complex, battling Lyme doesn’t have to be as perplexing given the diagnostic tools now available to the medical community. But are western practitioners biting? “The gold standard way to test is not on the radar of most doctors,” argue Maderis, “But most holistics are already Lyme literate and using it and able to treat patients early for the disease.”

Images: San Diego Lymer; Lyme Disease.Org; Medicalpicturesinfo

The post New Lab Testing and Awareness to Attack Lyme in California appeared first on EcoSalon.

For a weekend of rainforest activities in Ecuador, fill your bag with laid-back basics that can handle long jungle hikes.

When packing for a weekend stay at the gorgeous Mashpi Lodge, a rainforest biodiversity reserve in Ecuador, bring laid-back eco-friendly basics that can stand a good day-long hike through the jungle. Functional fabrics that can breathe are crucial, and whatever you do, don’t forget the natural bug repellent.

Light Gives Heat Classic Bracelet
This chunky cuff bracelet is made from a random assortment of colored SUUBI beads, made from recycled paper. It wraps around the wrist 4-5 times and is the perfect way to dress up a casual outfit. Each bracelet is 100% unique and hand-crafted by the Suubi women in Uganda.
$18, Light Gives Heat

Degree Six Her Bamboo Razorback
This bamboo razorback tank is easy enough to wear on long hikes through the jungle, but cute enough to wear out and about too. Green-hued burnout fabric treatment and contrast stitching make this tank a great wardrobe staple. Made in Los Angeles, from 100% bamboo.
$25, Degree Six

Patagonia Women’s Torrentshell Jacket
One thing you need to be prepared for when you’re in the rainforest is, well, rain. Pared-down and packable, this Torrentshell jacket by Patagonia is a no-frills, 2.5-layer hard shell with a waterproof and breathable barrier made for seriously wet weather.
$129, Patagonia

Eco Swim Eco Covers Shorts
A good pair of shorts is a must-have when you’re out and about in nature. These recycled poly-textured woven cargo shorts by Eco Swim have pockets to fit all your essentials and can stand to get wet.
$64, Everything But Water

Blissoma Backyard Bliss Sprayable Lotion
Whenever you’re in tropical climates, it’s a good idea to bring insect repellent. Backyard Bliss summer sprayable lotion by Blissoma is 100% vegan and 100% natural and has a pleasant, essential oil scent that feels more like a perfume than a bug spray. It also contains organic aloe vera, which keeps your skin cool and protects it from sun stress.
$13.25, Blissoma

Mountainsmith Alder 30 Women’s
Traveling to unusual places usually requires a good backpack. With a capacity of up to 32L, this one, by classic outdoor goods purveyor Mountainsmith, is made especially for women. It’s big enough to hold all your stuff, even for a more extended trip, but also small enough to take as a carry-on for flights. Made with 450d recycled PET fabric, the Alder 30 utilizes 17 recycled 16-ounce plastic bottles.
$124.95, Mountainsmith

The post Weekend Bag: Mashpi Lodge appeared first on EcoSalon.

Writer Shira Levine goes in search of an active volcano.

It’s not every day you find yourself hiking a steep incline up to the rim of a previously erupted volcano crater unless, well, you live near a volcano. The closest volcanoes to my home in New York City are too far to consider for a Sunday hike and while there’s the still active Yellowstone volcano in Wyoming, it’s still about 1,890 miles away. A bit further still is Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Volcanoes in Iceland and Greenland are about the same distance. Much closer are some volcanoes located in the Connecticut River Valley, but unfortunately to satisfy my inner volcanophile, they’re now about a million years extinct which leaves me sort of hanging.

I was fired up to find something safely authentic, conical, and maybe offering a little smoke. I’d witnessed classic volcanoes like Arenal in Costa Rica, the Lake Atitlan volcanoes in Guatemala, Lake Ometepe’s volcanoes in Nicaragua, and the twin Pitons of St. Lucia from afar – just never navigated them. Finally, this summer I hiked up my first volcano. Mt. Liamuiga in St. Kitts, one of 18 volcanoes in the Caribbean, and one of the more challenging to ascend.

Liamuiga, which means “fertile land” in the Kalinago Caribbean language, is a precipitous hike. Our guide Oneal Mulraine, took us up something like 4,000 feet through rain and cloud forest replete with Banyan and Viper trees, Spanish Ash, Hearts of Palm, Mimosa, and Maho to reach the summit of the long-ago exploded crater. Really experienced, fit hikers can brave an additional hike down into the crater to explore the lush overgrown greenery and a glittering lake. But for me, the 2.5-hour hike up was just fine.

Hikers can go solo, but going with the guide is safer and more informative. Oneal is an herbalist and bush doctor, so shared with us some cool holistic remedies and fun facts. At the start of our hike, he picked one plant that he suggested wrapping around our neck to prevent neck and back pain. It worked well especially as my hotel, the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino had kindly supplied us with cute but awkward bags full of food and drink. They were more for leisurely picnics, versus any hiking that required the deep lunging movements we used when straddling rocks and fallen trees.

Along the way we spotted a few notable birds that get birdwatchers in a tizzy. Terry, the token birdwatcher of the group was on a casual mission to spot three specific birds, and nailed sightings of: the Bridled Quail Dove, a Green-Throated Carib, and a Red-Tailed Hawk. Another hiker, Edith, brought her spiritual knowledge to the group and shared a collection of blessings and offerings. Without them, the 1,800-year dormant volcano might have exploded and killed us.

Since the volcano is indeed dormant, the main thing to be cautious of when hiking Liamuiga is the moldy mango. According to Oneal, they’re worse than banana peels when it comes to slipping and falling. Wiley French Vervet monkeys, the little dirty, littering suckers they are, are said to outnumber the 35,000 Kittitians on the island. They are to blame for the fruity booby traps. The monkeys take a few bites and then chuck the slimy remains along Liamuiga’s footpath.

If there’s anything sacred at Liamuiga, it is the majesty of the views from the top. The last bend requires a little rope action to help hikers cross over and around to the wide-open clearing. What is revealed is the soul of the crater in all its fertile grassy green glory. No photography does this kind of nature justice. I stop trying to capture and document the hindsight and just let go to be at one with the present.

Hindsight isn’t bad though, especially when back at the Marriott where I further beat away any possible muscle fatigue with a languid swim in the Caribbean Sea, followed by some lazy pool floating, and most importantly, that double shot of local rum at the swim-up bar.

If merely hiking a volcano is too tame for your adventurous side, there are in fact other ways like biking, surfing and skiing, to traverse both the active and dormant volcano.

You go have your own fun.

The post Shira Levine: Volcano Hunter appeared first on EcoSalon.

As a fellow writer friend of mine recently said, “City = landscape. Treat it that way.” Sometimes we’re so caught up in doing the right things to get away from city life that we forget how rich the urban landscape itself can be. We all know that we should be making an effort to spend more time outdoors, but if you’re not lucky enough to live with acres of, say, a protected wildlife refuge in your backyard, it can be difficult to find the time to invest in driving a few hours just to take a quick hike. Which is why I love the concept of urban hiking.

Yes, I am fully aware that the words “urban hiking” can easily be equated to “walking,” but somewhere along the line we lost respect for this simple, yet energizing and fun, activity. Urban hiking is taking the simple human function of walking and turning it into a vehicle to slowing down and truly exploring the nooks and crannies of new cities, and even our own neighborhoods that we think we know like the back of our hands.

Sometimes the best adventures are right down the street, and we’ve got a list of tips and suggestions to make sure you find them, and enjoy yourself while you’re at it.

1. Plan a fruit hunt.

Spring and summer are quickly approaching, and you know what that means? Fruit picking season. Finding fresh fruit isn’t limited to rural environments, there are plenty of cities filled to the brims with fig trees, apple trees, plum trees and beyond. Urban fruit harvesting groups have popped up around the country with one simple goal: making use of fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

Many cities have fruit groups that even provide maps. Two such projects are Forage Oakland and the Philadelphia Orchard Project. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, check out Fallen Fruit. And if you can’t find a local organization that maps out fruit hot spots, take an afternoon to explore a neighborhood and make your own.

2. Pack a picnic.

There’s no point in going hungry on your urban hike, and packing a picnic allows you to do two things: prepare a tasty, organic meal and explore a local park. Figure out ahead of time where you want to spend your lunch hour and plan accordingly. Then fill your backpack with a gourmet picnic. How about a Quinoa Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds partnered with a fresh baguette and some goat cheese? Just make sure to pack reusable utensils and drinking vessels.

3. Keep a detailed urban hiker’s travel journal.

Take time to truly appreciate your local urban surroundings and start documenting them. You don’t have to be a Picasso or Proust, just willing to take a couple of notes and sketches now and then of what you’ve seen and done. Journaling lets you explore your creative side and also gives you a reference point for places you might want to remember later.

4. Don’t dress to kill.

Nobody said urban hiking adventures meant dressing in dowdy sweat pants and muddy trainers, but you should still probably keep the heels at home. That being said, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be looking good while staying comfortable, and there are some great eco-picks out there if you’re looking to inject a breath of fresh air into your urban hiking wardrobe. Check out our From Yoga to Yardwork picks for starters.

5. Take friends!

Make your urban hike a girl’s day out. Plan a shorter itinerary to allow for a slower pace – more talking equals less walking – but that hits a few key hot spots: cute cafe for lunch, a local bakery for afternoon coffee and a corner bar for evening cocktails. If you’re having trouble thinking about where to go, pick a theme for the day: Boutique Shopping, Urban Parks, Undiscovered Food Carts, etc.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Images: Ewan-M, ginnerobot, Anna Brones, Anna Brones, mugley, Let Ideas Compete

The post Take a Hike: 5 More Great Tips for the Urban Explorer appeared first on EcoSalon.

Whether renting a cabin, climbing a mountain, or toasting marshmallows around a backyard campfire, don’t be shy about packing up your pooch and taking him along for the adventure. With a little preparation, your dog can enjoy the great outdoors just as much you do!

Find Pet-Friendly Destinations

Not all trails, campgrounds, parks, or cabins are pet-friendly. Use a resource like GoPetFriendly to locate the pet policies of various destinations. No matter where you go, be an ambassador for pet-friendly camping: Follow leash laws, pick up after your pet, and don’t leave him unattended.

Help Your Dog Have Fun

To make your trip more enjoyable, help your dog acclimate in advance. If Fido is typically a couch potato, go for longer walks leading up to your trip. If you will be sleeping in a tent, set it up in your backyard for a few days. Crawl in there with him and sit calmly for a few minutes to help him feel comfortable. Some dogs take longer to adjust to new or unusual things, so lay out any equipment or gear ahead of time to prevent unexpected surprises.

Pack Your Pooch’s Essentials

In addition to enough food and water for the entire trip – plus a little extra, just in case – pack a dog bed or blanket, a leash, and poop bags. Even dogs that are reliable off-leash can become distracted or disoriented in a new environment. To give your dog a little freedom while ensuring his safety, bring a 20-foot lead in addition to your regular leash. And while you may enjoy singing songs around the campfire, your dog may get bored, so bring some of his favorite toys to keep him occupied during people-only activities.

Plan for Your Dog’s Health and Safety

Start with a pest-prevention plan, and check your dog once or twice a day for ticks. Bring a pet first aid kit to treat any on-the-spot injuries. If temperatures soar, soak a bandanna in cold water and tie it around your dog’s neck. Be sure he has access to plenty of fresh water. If he starts to overheat, use the rubbing alcohol from your first aid kit to swab the inside of his ears and the pads of his feet – since dogs can’t sweat, this helps to cool them off.

Hiking Tips

There are extra considerations if you’re hiking: If you expect your dog to carry his own food or water, incorporate the pack into your daily walks a few weeks before the trip. Start with an empty pack and slowly build up to the full weight. In addition, hiking can be rough on a dog’s feet; pads can tear or lacerate. When you stop for the day, wash your dog’s feet and coat any cuts with an antibiotic ointment. And just as you need frequent water and trail mix breaks, your dog will require plenty of water and additional calories. Stop often and allow your dog access to clean water and healthy snacks.

Images: Laertes, jljohnstone

The post Dogs Can Camp With the Best of Us appeared first on EcoSalon.

Yes, I am fully aware that the words “urban hiking” can easily be equated to “walking,” but somewhere along the line we lost respect for this simple, yet energizing and fun, activity. Urban hiking is taking the simple human function of walking and turning it into a vehicle to slowing down and truly exploring the nooks and crannies of new cities, and even our own neighborhoods that we think we know like the back of our hands.

Sometimes the best adventures are right down the street, and we’ve got a list of tips and suggestions to make sure you find them, and enjoy yourself while you’re at it.

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1. Plan a fruit hunt.

Spring and summer are quickly approaching, and you know what that means? Fruit picking season. Finding fresh fruit isn’t limited to rural environments, there are plenty of cities filled to the brims with fig trees, apple trees, plum trees and beyond. Urban fruit harvesting groups have popped up around the country with one simple goal: making use of fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

Many cities have fruit groups that even provide maps. Two such projects are Forage Oakland and the Philadelphia Orchard Project. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, check out Fallen Fruit. And if you can’t find a local organization that maps out fruit hot spots, take an afternoon to explore a neighborhood and make your own.

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• 1
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2. Pack a picnic.

There’s no point in going hungry on your urban hike, and packing a picnic allows you to do two things: prepare a tasty, organic meal and explore a local park. Figure out ahead of time where you want to spend your lunch hour and plan accordingly. Then fill your backpack with a gourmet picnic. How about a Quinoa Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds partnered with a fresh baguette and some goat cheese? Just make sure to pack reusable utensils and drinking vessels.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

3. Keep a detailed urban hiker’s travel journal.

Take time to truly appreciate your local urban surroundings and start documenting them. You don’t have to be a Picasso or Proust, just willing to take a couple of notes and sketches now and then of what you’ve seen and done. Journaling lets you explore your creative side and also gives you a reference point for places you might want to remember later.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

4. Don’t dress to kill.

Nobody said urban hiking adventures meant dressing in dowdy sweat pants and muddy trainers, but you should still probably keep the heels at home. That being said, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be looking good while staying comfortable, and there are some great eco-picks out there if you’re looking to inject a breath of fresh air into your urban hiking wardrobe. Check out our From Yoga to Yardwork picks for starters.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

5. Take friends!

Make your urban hike a girl’s day out. Plan a shorter itinerary to allow for a slower pace – more talking equals less walking – but that hits a few key hot spots: cute cafe for lunch, a local bakery for afternoon coffee and a corner bar for evening cocktails. If you’re having trouble thinking about where to go, pick a theme for the day: Boutique Shopping, Urban Parks, Undiscovered Food Carts, etc.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Images: Ewan-M, ginnerobot, Anna Brones, Anna Brones, mugley, Let Ideas Compete

The post Take a Hike: 5 More Great Tips for the Urban Explorer appeared first on EcoSalon.

Soot, screeching sirens and forbidding skyscrapers; is this your definition of the big city? Think again. The urban landscape might seem like the epicenter of everything that’s wrong with the world, but in fact cities are where some of the most interesting components of the green movement are currently taking place.

With everything from urban farms and electric cars, large cities are surprisingly livable, and now there’s another trend on the rise: urban hiking. Living the city life has long been equated with staying indoors and neglecting to feed our human need for spending time in nature, but the onslaught of urban hiking tours is showing us that it is in fact possible to get outside, be active and explore new places in the process.

What is Urban Hiking?

Forget the days of mindlessly jumping in a taxi to go from point A to point B. Urban hiking is all about planning, executing and enjoying the journey, another great example of slow travel. According to the Urban Dictionary, urban hiking is “the exploration of diverse urban environments on foot.” Conservation and travel groups alike promote urban hiking, as it not only gets people outdoors and active, but also allows them to explore the ins and outs of urban landscapes.

Choose a Theme

The key to a great urban hike is planning. Pick a theme to your hike so you can choose specific points of interest to visit. This allows you to explore a certain aspect of the city you’re in and makes it easier to plan an itinerary. Here are some possible themes to consider:

1. Local food – Find three restaurants or cafes that all focus on serving local food and plan for an appetizer at each.
2. Markets – Markets abound in big cities – Paris and San Francisco in particular come to mind – and offer everything from local foods to crafts. Pick out a few you want to explore and track your route.
3. Parks – For a more natural experience, explore the green spaces that your urban environment has to offer. Choose a few within a walkable distance and pack a picnic item for each.
4. Architecture – Explore the designs and spaces that make the city that you’re in unique. Cities like Los Angeles have already started offering architecture-inspired guided urban hikes.
5. Art galleries – If you want a chicer urban hike, give it an art theme. Many cities offer an Art Walk on a certain night of the month. This is a great chance to plan a quick and easy urban hike itinerary. Plot out some of your favorite galleries that you want to check out and end the evening with a glass of wine at a local bistro.

Planning your route

Easy tools like Google’s pedometer will help you track how far you will be walking. Plan realistically; if you’re going with a group of friends, you’ll go at a slower pace than you expect. Assume you’ll cover about one or two miles per hour. A great day trip could be 5 or 6 miles with several stopping points incorporated, keeping you active but also ensuring that the day is enjoyable.

Be sure to bring

Just because you’re in the city doesn’t mean you can throw traditional hiking rules of thumb out the window. Carry a bottle of water and some healthy organic nuts or dried fruit to snack on.

If you’re planning on making stop off at a cafe, bring your reusable thermos or mug. And just in case you come across a to-die-for item in an unknown corner boutique, make sure you’ve got a reusable bag on hand.

Resources

If you’re looking for urban hiking suggestions, tourism websites are a great place to start, and many have suggested routes if you don’t want to plan your own. Guidebooks that have walking tour routes are also a great resource.

But remember, the best part about urban hikes are that you can tailor them to explore all the things that you’re interested in, so don’t be afraid to break out of the box!

Do you have a favorite urban hike? Tell us about it!

Image: brartist

The post The City Girl’s Guide to Urban Hiking appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s one thing to read about how some of the most amazing natural treasures in the world are endangered due to environmental degradation, or learn specifically about the dangers global warming poses to our national parks. It’s another thing to see it firsthand.

I was hiking in the Rockies earlier this month and saw for myself large swaths of dead, rust-colored Lodgepole pine trees throughout the forest (see gallery below).  Witnessing the actual damage done by human folly is heart wrenching in a way that is difficult to verbalize. For me, there’s a huge sense of loss and missed opportunity and a knot of pure anger in my stomach at the shortsightedness and power of denial in us humans.

At the same time, there’s a strange gratitude in the moment of experience at the fact that I’m lucky enough to stand surrounded by such inspiring beauty (despite the visible damage). Then there’s the feeling of awe and appreciation at the incredible beating nature is able to take before showing signs of wear.

The trees’ deaths were caused directly by an insect called the mountain pine beetle and indirectly by climate change. Pine beetles have always fed on certain species of trees, like the Lodgepole pines in the Rockies, but cold winters have kept the beetle’s population under control and plenty of water made the trees hardy and resistant to the beetle’s attacks.

Enter drought and successive years of warm weather. The population of beetles explodes, the trees are weakened and unable to secrete the resin that kills the beetles, and the trees die – to the tune of millions upon millions of trees. According to this National Parks Conservation Association Survival Guide, Forestry officials estimate that all mature Lodgepole pine forests in Colorado will be dead by 2013.

This all sounds hopeless and it is, especially for the Lodgepoles and the many birds, animals and fish that directly or indirectly depend on them for survival. So many dried, dead trees make the specter of devastating wildfires a sure bet.

Experts agree that the damage is irreversible. The only way to think positively is to ponder the new forest that will eventually grow up in this one’s place. Luckily, nature does have amazing powers of regeneration. But that doesn’t mean we can excuse the damage already done. To appreciate both the beauty and the scale of loss people need to see these places and truly experience them firsthand. That’s the only way we are ever going to save them.

Though heavy visitation has its own deleterious impacts on our national parks, I believe it is only through experiencing nature’s awe-inspiring beauty and mystery that humankind will muster the desire to live more lightly in hopes of saving what we still have.

Images: Vanessa Barrington

The post Gallery: A Firsthand Look at Climate Change Damage in Rocky Mountain National Park appeared first on EcoSalon.

Back in the day when I was in elementary school, scouting was the road most traveled by children wanting to explore the great outdoors. These days, scouting is still around, but it’s hardly the draw it was in past decades. Instead, we rely on costly summer camps to help wean children off the Wii controls and laptops and get them into the woods, challenging their bodies and imaginations.

But if you’re like me, you don’t want camp staffers to have all of the fun teaching your kids about their natural world. We need to put on our own counselor caps and lead the way to the redwoods, caverns and caves. We should be the ones pointing out the planets and stars in the night time sky. Our family trips to Yosemite (below) without the intrusion of toys and TV have afforded us precious quality time we will always treasure.

Mapping out these adventures is now much easier, thanks to a new family outdoor campaign called Nature Rocks.

The four founders – all experts in recreation and conservation – designed a website that guides parents on where to go and what to do, from camping at national parks to pitching tents in your own backyards. Many include the “F” word. Don’t be silly, of course I mean free.

When given the choice, these fresh air proponents want you to choose outdoor recreation over indoor hibernation because air and wind and surf and mountains make humans feel more alive.

You don’t have to be  John Muir to make these choices.

Whether flying kites on the beach instead of flying on planes…

paddling your kids down the river instead of dropping them off at the mall…

or looking at life forms rather than looking up images via Google…

the experience of  family bonding amid the beauty and mysteries of nature has tremendous rewards, including the kind of toasty, S’Mores round-the campfire memories that last a lifetime. Scout’s honor!

“The benefit of nature for children are fundamental,” says Richard Louv, co-founder of  The Children & Nature Network, one of the four sponsors of the Nature Rocks campaign. “As families look for lower cost vacation options, we hope they will discover that nature offers families a personal stimulus package, letting them save money while improving the physical and emotional well being of their children.”

Louv’s organization is fostering an international movement to connect children with nature. An author who has written for the New York Times, his most recent book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, sees the urgency in nurturing a future relationship between children and nature.

After all, the next generation will inherit a planet rife with pollution, water and energy shortages, and a loss of habitat and wildlife – the plagues of modern civilization.

Just as committed are the other three leaders in the campaign: The Nature Conservancy, REI, and ecoAmerica. Their Nature Rocks launch was timed to coincide with the beginning of summer when parents are searching for activities that will keep children busy – but not so busy that they miss the joys of the season.

“As a working mom with two young children, I appreciate the useful ideas that improve my and my family’s lives,” says Meighen Speiser, VP of Marketing for ecoAmerica. “The Nature Rocks website offers loads of easy-to-use tools, tips and over 100 fun activities like nature art, weekend camping, hiking at a nearby park or an impromptu neighborhood nature scavenger hunt. The added bonus is that these activities are either inexpensive or free.”

The tips are available on the 2009 Summer Nature Staycation Planning Guide, which is chalk-full of fun suggestions for planning family recreation close to home. The site is very user-friendly. Just input your zip code and designate what you’re looking for. The Nature Finder map points you in the direction of nearby activities, such as horseback riding, swimming and snorkeling, camping and skiing. There are hundreds of activities to choose from.

The Nature Conservancy – which works to protect ecologically important lands and waters – says its goal is for a people to feel they are a part of all living things. “Now, working on the Nature Rocks initiative, we’re able to help the next generation better their health and reconnect with nature,” says M. Sanjayan, Lead Scientist, who adds that the Conservancy is dedicated to supporting conservation work that will not only enrich the natural world but also better our health and our lives.

So dust off those sleeping rolls and rinse out the sticky cooler. To quote Joni Mitchell, who wrote Woodstock about her generation’s desire to end war and take stock in nature, “It’s time to get ourselves back to the garden.”

Image: Fabian Bromann

The post Nature Rocks Campaign Urges Families to Get Outdoors This Summer appeared first on EcoSalon.