Carla Hollis
There is no way to describe a primeval redwood forest to someone who has never seen a primeval redwood forest. The enormity of the trees, the passage of time they represent, and the layers of life that have evolved within them. The emotions redwood evokes defy words.
This realization was resolved on a recent week-long college excursion to Jedidiah Smith State Park and surrounding areas near Crescent City. When I heard about the threats that lie beneath the redwoods and surrounding forests, I wondered how I could fall behind in order to protect the unimaginable.
This is what makes experiential education so important at all levels of schooling and beyond to create engaged citizens.
According to the Association for Experiential Education, experiential education is when educators purposefully connect learners with first-hand experiences in the field to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and contribute to the community. It is an educational philosophy that uses focused consideration to develop people’s competencies.
All the outcomes of experiential education are valuable, but it is the ability to connect with and contribute to the community that is especially helpful in understanding the stresses the environment is under and motivating people to act.
In addition to my experience in this area, I also had time spent with a frontline advocate, the Arcata-based Environmental Conservation Information Center. EPIC is a non-profit organization that holds logging companies, the U.S. Forest Service, and the California Fire Department accountable when logging is proposed and carried out.
Through field visits, legal action, and community engagement, EPIC protects trees that should not be cut, critical habitat for endangered species, and critical waterways that serve as both habitat and drinking water.
It was only during my time on the ground with EPIC’s dedicated staff that I understood the pressures that human activities face on the natural environment of Northern California.
For example, EPIC is currently helping combat logging in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, located in the ancestral territory of the North Pomo and Coast Yuki tribes. Large old redwoods are regularly cut down as the California Fire Department manages the land as an industrial forest.
Cal Fire had paused logging in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest and was in talks about a co-management deal with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. This gave rise to hope that indigenous voices would lead land management, but suddenly Cal Fire announced that logging would resume without consulting the tribes.
The announcement led to peaceful protests and frontline advocates took action to stop logging. You wouldn’t have known anything about this.
My experience with Redwoods connected me to the forest, and my experience with EPIC helped me understand the fight to save trees and habitats. Without that experience, I would have happily never noticed.
This is why experiential education is important. From grade school to graduate school, everyone needs to see the natural world for themselves and make the connections they need to save it.
It’s not difficult.
Parents should encourage schools to find ways to engage children with nature. When school can’t lead, parents need to ensure their children spend time outside in beautiful places.
When your kids are old enough, set aside time to volunteer with an organization like EPIC. Just a few hours in a week or month can be enough to build awe, wonder, and a commitment to conservation.
Emphasizing experiential education is a way to create lasting change that can give future generations an opportunity to fight for a livable and beautiful world.
For more information on EPIC, please visit www.wildcalifornia.org.
Cara Hollis is a resident of Incline Village, Nevada.
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