Louv in Orion

Giving the full rundown of what he has called "Nature Deficit Disorder" that has resulted from the current patterns of development in the US. As he states early on in the 4000+ word article: Developers exploiting our hunger for nature, I thought, just as they market their subdivisions by naming their streets after the trees and streams that they destroy.

He also lays out the development of new movements in several communities throughtout the country who have embarked on campaigns for to "Leave No Child Inside."

Other choice statistics:
"In a typical week, only 6 percent of children ages nine to thirteen play outside on their own."
". . . Bike riding is down 31 percent since 1995."
"there are also risks in raising children under virtual protective house arrest: threats to their independent judgment and value of place, to their ability to feel awe and wonder, to their sense of stewardship for the Earth—and, most immediately, threats to their psychological and physical health."

And while it is not explicitly "natural" these statistics do bring an additional level to the on-going discussions about the appropriateness of skate parks in various parts of Seattle. Maybe it isn't so bad to tear up an underused patch of greenery when the public health benefits could be great.