a community partner protecting land, water and quality of life through conservation, stewardship and education

Stewardship Needs in Our Community

Stewardship: taking care of something, looking after something.

…a sense of commitment

Stewardship: taking care of something, looking after something.

…a sense of commitment

How can you take care of something that you don’t know?

Stewardship = Knowing something and how to take care of it

Natural Resources Provide •Recreational opportunities

Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking

…and the habitats that support the animals to be hunted and the fish to be caught and the berries to be picked…

•Important human servicesClean air, drinking water, and flood control

•Economic benefitsTimber and natural productsTourismOutdoor recreational consumers

(fishing poles, hiking boots, snowmobiles, etc.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~All of these contribute to quality of life in our community

But to have a high quality of life in our community and have these benefits:

Recreational opportunities

Important human services

Economic vitality

Natural Resources must be healthy…they must be taken care of

…it requires good stewardship

How can you take care of something that you don’t know?

Vigorous outdoor activities are being replaced by indoorindoor, sedentary pursuits:video gamesinternet surfingtelevision watching

all called videophilia

Videophilia contributes to obesitylack of socializationattention disorderspoor academic performance

Based on visits to state and federal parks, and the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, outdoor recreation has declined about 20% in the last two decades.

Less time outdoors = less contact with nature = less interest in stewardship

Stewardship Needs in Our Community:

Stewardship Needs in Our Community:

Get to know our outdoor world

Have fun being outside

Get children out in the woods…wetlands…and by the lakeshore

…In winter, spring, summer and fall

Children need to know the natural world before they can learn how to take care of it

Stewardship Needs in Our Community:Using resources wisely so the next generation can enjoy this place too

-recycling and waste reduction programs in schools

Restoring habitats so the hunting and fishing will be good-Stream improvement projects-Invasive species/disease control

Learning about places and sharing that knowledgeso the community can learn about and enjoy these places too-Interpretive signage-Community education programs

Helping our natural resources be healthy for clean air and water-pollution prevention-storm water control