It’s the end of the week, I’m bone tired, there’s smoke in the air and everyone has huge grins stretching ear to ear. It was the last Friday of summer before school and I was on top of Centennial Peak with my coworker and a group of teenagers. It was the finale of our week long Adventure Camp. We had spent the week learning, hiking, and paddling through the landscape of the La Plata Mountains while connecting these teens to the public lands that are practically out their back door.
There were a lot of firsts for all of us that week – first time on a paddleboard, first time on top of a mountain, first time launching a summer camp for Montezuma county. I had been so worried about how I would be able to launch a brand new program in the time of a pandemic. I realized, however, that these types of activities are needed now more than ever. The pandemic has driven many of us to the outdoors seeking safe ways to interact, but I’m not talking about that.
Before any of us had ever heard of “social distancing” or associated ‘Corona’ with anything other than an adult beverage, researchers demonstrated the importance of kids spending active time outside. One sobering study found that American children spend on average only 4-7 minutes a day being active outdoors while another found they are healthiest when they spend 4-6 hours outside. This discrepancy is alarming. Some economists estimate the health effects from such a sedentary lifestyle so early on could cost our nation billions of dollars in health care.
In this way, the pandemic has created an opportunity for positive change. Across the country, thousands of teachers have taken their classes outside. Schools have started to invest in “outdoor classrooms”. In our little corner of Colorado, San Juan Mountains Association has been partnering with Montezuma Land Conservancy and the Montezuma Inspire Coalition to bring outdoor education and recreation to kids throughout Montezuma County. We’ve launched weekly programs such as Forest Fridays in Mancos when local schools are not in session, with more programs in the works. Access to high quality outdoor activities should not be a privilege, but rather a fundamental part of being human. I am hopeful that when it’s finally time to put the masks away that we continue on the trail to an outdoor oriented community.
By Adriana Stimax, Education Program Director
