Lyons, N.Y. - Several recent studies confirm what most of us already know about kids: they're spending less time outdoors, less time in nature, and more time with technology. An effort is underway to change that.
In Lyons, it began with a vision from Mark DeCracker, who put together a team of volunteers to help. Today that vision has become Forever Wild for Everyone, a five-acre trail and nature park adjoining the Lyons Community Center.
"People have shown they believe in this idea," DeCracker told 13WHAM News. "People believe in the importance of getting back to nature, back to where it began. And people believe that we need space that is accessible to everyone, from people in wheelchairs to infants in strollers."
For now, the land looks largely barren. But this spring, it will be crackling with the sound of streams, hikers, and kids playing. Several gardens will bloom. Butterfly bushes will dot the landscape with spaces for fruit and vegetable growth. Eventually, an ice house will provide natural refrigeration for the food grown here.
"We used to be able to live without electricity," DeCracker said. "Today, we wouldn't know what to do if we lost power for an extended amount of time. That must change. It's good for everyone to experience nature. It's cleansing!"
And it starts with kids. DeCracker has enlisted the help of Lyons students, including seniors George Dobbins and Claudia Henry. "I know a few people who are addicted to technology," Dobbins said with a smile. "Facebook, cell phones, iPads. They probably haven't seen the light of day for a long time."
Dobbins thinks the Forever Wild for Everyone project will have an effect. "It'll be more effective with younger kids, because they'll learn those habits and that will stay with them," Dobbins said.
Henry agree, adding that technology doesn't have to be absent from the project. "There's a webpage, and we can use technology to attract people to the outdoors," she explained. "It's about finding balance, because right now a lot of kids are sort of unbalanced. I understand it. I've been guilty of it."
One section of the five acres will be devoted to native species, a more rugged forest area that has DeCracker excited. "We have teams pulling out the invasive species," he said. "Eventually this will have the look and feel of land undisturbed by man."
It has come together largely thanks to donations, both from private individuals (DeCracker says the project has raised more than $12,000) and from companies that have donated materials. "I can't thank the community enough," he said, also pointing to the help from Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Expect a spring opening, with the Forever Wild site open to the public, free of charge. Beyond that, DeCracker envisions outdoor concerts and even weddings. "There's so much that can happen here," he said. "So much that will bring people in contact with the outdoors. We've lost that over a generation and a half, but we're geting it back."
