The Next Generation…
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The Next Generation of Conservationists
By B. Dan BergerShe may be only 3 1/2-years old but she can cast her little light blue “Dora the Explorer” fishing rod a good twenty feet. How do I know? Because I occasionally hear the weighted red plastic minnow at the end of her line loudly whack the window of the front door of our small home on the river. It makes me proud and cringe at the same time. I run out of the house and gently turn her around and encourage her to cast AWAY from the house, and I go back and sneakily inspect the window for cracks.
My wife Aimee and I have been taking our daughter Shelby to the North Fork of the South Branch in West Virginia since she was in the womb. We strongly believe children these days have too many toys, computer and video games, and of course, face-time in front of the television. Let me be clear, we too are guilty of all the above. But we also make a concerted effort to balance it all by spending a lot of time in the great outdoors that our Creator has graciously provided us.
Since moving from Florida to the Washington, DC area seven years ago, we have been coming to the beautiful Monongahela National Forest, staying several times a year in the beautiful cabins at Harman’s. Now that we have been blessed with our own home just a couple miles up from Harman’s, we spend as much time out of the big city as possible.
Shelby will come with me to the river and fish for a few minutes and then quickly become distracted by all the fantastically smooth stones and river-rocks under her feet. She will throw them into river until it is time to go. By the way, trout are NOT attracted to the splashing sounds of a child’s Roger Clemens-like fastball.
She will stand with me in the middle of the river and reel in the line on my rod. Unafraid, she will gently inspect, touch and hold the trout or smallmouth bass we have caught in these Potomac headwaters prior to us releasing it. And then she will quickly turn around and walk noisily through the water to shore and start whipping stones into the river that would even impress the Boston Red Sox. We are thinking collegiate softball scholarship.
And when we do watch television together, Shelby loves the ESPN fishing shows as well as the various episodes on animals or the incredible outdoor destinations on Discovery Channel. We talk to her regularly about the importance of enjoying the outdoors but also the necessity for its conservation. Proudly, she will point out when she sees litter and claim loudly, “not a very nice person has littered our mountains.” We pick up the trash and throw into the bed of my truck.
As adults, we have a responsibility to expose our young children to as many things as possible. And that includes not just learning the alphabet or counting numbers, but learning about the outdoors. One of my favorite memories is watching my daughter joyfully chase fireflies, and occasionally, be successful in catching one. Gently inspecting the pulsating-lighted insect, then letting it go. Can’t do that in front of a television.
We regularly visit Dolly Sods and drive through Smoke Hole Canyon, and she is impressed every time as if it was her first trip. Pointing out all the trees, plants, rocks, streams, cliffs, waterfalls and long-range views. She absorbs it all in. As do her parents.
Although many of us volunteer and contribute to several important conservation organizations, we all must take the extra step and teach our children about the environment. So, turn off the computer or television and take your children or grandchildren fishing. You and they will create terrific memories together, and get this, they will fall in love with the outdoors and develop an appreciation for the beautiful world around them. And you can proudly know that you have helped to create the next generation of conservationists.
Dan Berger is a lifelong outdoorsman and avid flyfisherman. He and his family split time between Cabins, WV and Alexandria, VA. Dan is a lobbyist in Washington, DC and an adjunct professor of communication at George Washington University.
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