5 Reasons to Leave Nature Alone in Parks

14 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by Coach-Net in Healthy Lifestyle, The Great Outdoors

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Beginning RV, benefits of nature, Camping destinations, National Parks, RV Park, RVing In Parks

Few things are as welcoming as a park. We often think of them as nature’s playgrounds. We should think of them more as nature’s sanctuaries, a place where you’ll find wildlife, hike well-maintained trails and enjoy some of the most scenic places an area has to offer. Many visitors enjoy spending time in our country’s national, state and local parks to get away from the stress of daily life. It may be tempting to take home a souvenir or otherwise leave a mark, but doing so can have major implications on the parks and back home.

These are five reasons to leave nature alone in the parks.

1. Disturbing the Peace

A walk in the park is extremely relaxing and peaceful and offers numerous health benefits. While it’s great to take the time to stop and smell the roses, it’s not a good idea to stop and pick them! Every park has a unique and intricate ecosystem. Taking flowers or native plants changes the ecosystem of the park and prevents them from generating new seeds for future plants. You may think an acorn lying on the ground would be a good memento of your trip. If everyone who visited the park took an acorn, it would deprive the park’s animals of food and keep those acorns from becoming new trees.

2. Robbing the Wildlife

The berries are ripe for the picking, right? When you pick berries in a park, you’re taking food out of the mouths of wildlife. They don’t have the option of going to the store to get something else.

3. Changing the Environment

It’s also essential visitors protect the overall landscape of the park. Let’s imagine that someone built a home from stones found on the bank of a local river. People might marvel at its beauty. But a closer look at the river would show an eroding riverbank — and a house about to fall in. The same goes when you take something from a park. It may seem like a small stone, but if the millions of visitors each took a stone home, it would vastly change the terrain.

4. Unwelcome Hitchhikers

You do your best to keep bugs out of your RV and campsite. So why bring a piece of firewood inside? That’s how invasive bark beetles and other pests such as the brown marmorated stink bug made their ways into our yards and home. Bringing home just a few of these damaging pests could easily infect the trees in your yard as well as thousands of trees in your neighborhood and city. This is why many parks don’t allow firewood to be brought into their campgrounds, or restrict purchases to a few local providers.

5. Doing More Harm Than Good

There have been many recent stories about people with good intentions trying to help newborn or abandoned animals in the forest. It’s not because touching a bird or other animal will impart a human scent and cause the animal’s parents to shun their offspring. That’s a myth. But approaching young wildlife still can be dangerous for the young animal — or even you. The mother is usually close by and extremely protective. A mother moose will protect her newborn by charging at the intruder. Deer oftentimes hide their newborns in high grass during the day to forage enough food for both them and their offspring. If you see an animal that you think needs help, the best thing to do is to take note of its location and let a park ranger know. Safe wildlife watching is essential for the safety of everyone within the park.

Visiting a park is a great way to get out and explore nature. As long as we remember not to disturb the natural surroundings, the parks will be around for future generations to enjoy.

By: Olivia Macdonald

Olivia Macdonald loves the outdoors, especially when she’s in motion in it — whether hiking trails, running 5Ks, skiing or cycling on a mountain bike or road bike

Cheryl B. ~ “Excellent support. The type of tow truck we need is hard to find but you found it anyways! You kept calling me to provide our tow status and to assure me that you were working on the case. Thank you!”

Park and Recreation Month

16 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by Coach-Net in The Great Outdoors

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activities, benefits of nature, Park and Recreation Month

July 2015 marks 30 years of Park and Recreation Month and the importance of parks and recreation for the world. Parks were created to serve the people—to give them a place to appreciate nature, exercise, socialize and have fun. Park and recreation agencies across the country are recognizing the month with summer programs, events, contests, commemorations and celebrations. Find an event near you.

Parks and recreation services are vital for our communities—from protecting open space and natural resources, to helping fight obesity, to providing activities and resources for all walks of life—Park and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential value parks and recreation bring to communities. This July let’s celebrate the enduring Power of Parks.

Parks Have Health Power

According to a 2014 article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, higher levels of green space were associated with lower symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress.
The Centers for Disease Control found that increased access to places for physical activity led to a 25.6 percent increase in people exercising 3 or more times per week.
Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and youth.
On average, children who live in greener environments weigh less than children who live in less green areas.
Children that have easy access to a playground are approximately five times more likely to have a healthy weight than children that do not have easy access to playgrounds.
The nation’s park and recreation facilities are on the frontline in the battle against the obesity epidemic and other chronic health issues.
Between 2000 and 2012, more than 85 studies have been published that link parks to better physical and mental health.

Parks Have Environmental Power

Parks, and particularly the trees in parks, have a direct and important impact on our quality of life. In fact, a 2006 study found that the air pollution removal value by urban trees in the United States is estimated to be 1.56 billion pounds per year – a value of $3.8 billion.
A park with one acre of trees absorbs the carbon dioxide produced by driving a car 11,000 miles.
Parks do a great deal to contribute to species richness in urban settings – a review of more than 60 studies by IFPRA shows that there is strong evidence to support the concept that parks support both plant and animal biodiversity. This offers not only important educational opportunity, but additionally supports overall ecosystem functionality.
Parks reduce the impact of large storms and flooding by serving as sponges that soak up run off from nearby paved surfaces during rain events. This in turn prevents flooding, and decreases property damage. Parks that are well-designed also reduce water usage by recycling and storing this water for use during times of low precipitation.
Evidence not only shows that parks are cooler than their surrounding cities, but actually shows that parks contribute to overall urban cooling – parks make our cities more comfortable in the summer!

Parks Have Economic Power

According to the National Association of State Park Directors, 725 million people visited state parks in 2013. State parks cost $2.3 billion to operate, but they inject more than $20 billion into local economies.
According to studies from the Trust for Public Land, five park systems located throughout the U.S. provided more than $5.4 billion in economic value.

To find out more about Park and Recreation Month and how you can get involved, please visit www.nrpa.org/july.

Source: www.nrpa.org.

4 Ways to Celebrate National Honey Month

19 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by Coach-Net in Favorite Recipes, Healthy Lifestyle

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benefits of nature, Healthy Options, Honey, Honey Month, National Honey Month

September is National Honey Month and this transition of seasons is the perfect time to highlight and enjoy the delectable flavors of honey. Traveling through the changing colors on the trees in your RV can be a beautiful experience, and honey sure does make it that much sweeter!

Honey is mostly sugar compounds with plenty of nutrients as well. Iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are just a few extremely beneficial minerals in honey that assist in boosting your immune system and improving your overall health. We’ve rounded up our top 4 favorite ways to celebrate National Honey Month, so check them out and find your favorites!

Honey in Cooking is Perfection
Southern Living has a beautiful collection of honey recipes to tantalize your sweet tooth and elevate ordinary dishes into extraordinary ones. Feel free to try every recipe, or count on our top three drool-worthy eats: the sweet and hearty Honey Glazed Carrots that are easy to make over a camp fire, some home style classic Honeyed Barbecue Ribs, and a crowd pleasing Honey Pineapple Upside Down Cake to end the evening right! Some of the nutrients in honey are lost in cooking, however honey proves to be one of the best natural sweeteners to cook with to help cut back on processed foods and make healthy options easy as pie!

A Lesson in Honey
Learning more about this naturally derived sweetener can teach you a lot about the environment and the world we live in. Unfortunately, bees are slowly declining in their original numbers due to environmental changes and shifts in the atmosphere. The pollen and nectar on flowers are collected by bees and grown into honey inside bee hives. Flowers also benefit from bees visiting them. Without the bees, flowers will simply degrade down until they wilt. This causes a major slow down in oxygenation on the planet and can have devastating consequences.

One pound of honey is harvested from over 200 million flowers! So plant some flowers (or at least stop to smell them) and allow bees to pollinate and make more honey.

Honey is Heart Healthy, and Just Plain Healthy
By consuming honey, you may be directly improving your overall health in the process. This comprehensive study analyzed dozens of experiments that focused on specific health benefits from consuming honey. Besides having over 181 natural substances that the human body can absorb, the minerals within honey are a beneficial addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Honey was shown to directly improve cardiovascular health, a major issue among the American population. Lastly, physiological gastrointestinal issues were shown to improve with honey as well. Say goodbye to tummy trouble and eat some sweet honey!

Honey Can Heal
Did you know that by placing honey on a cut or wound can speed healing? In a laboratory experiment, honey was shown to kill many bacteria pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella. This same process can be extremely helpful for surface wounds or painful burns on the skin while traveling. Take a look at the shade of your honey to determine how helpful it is: darker means more antioxidant power.

Did you know that honey was first harvested for consumption over four thousand years ago? Ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew that honey was something special. Today, there are over 300 different varieties of honey in the United States. That’s a lot of sweetness to try! Find your favorite variety on your travels and enjoy National Honey Month!

Connecting Kids with Nature

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Coach-Net in Healthy Lifestyle, Kids and Camping

≈ 1 Comment

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activities, benefits of nature, Children, COBR

For some of us, playing outside was all we had for entertainment growing up. There were no video games, cell phones, laptops or tablets, DVD movies or unlimited TV channels offering instant entertainment 24/7. We made our own entertainment along with all the other kids in our neighborhood. In the summer especially, we played outside all day and we all knew when it was time to go home – when the streetlights came on!

For those of you who remember the ‘streetlight’ days, delight in the fact you share a connection with everyone else who had similar experiences. You know what it feels like to run barefoot in the grass, climb a tree, or ride a bike with the cool wind in your face. The feelings those experiences create for each of us makes us all kindred spirits despite the range in ages or geographic region.

Within the last decade or so we’ve begun to recognize that kids today do not have the outdoor experiences of previous generations. Try yelling “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” at a child and – providing they don’t have earbuds in and can hear you – they’ll probably look at you like you’re crazy. The lack of connection today’s youth has to the outdoors has further widened the generation gap and has also contributed to higher rates of childhood obesity and other health issues. Studies have also shown that exposure to the outdoors helps reduce ADHD symptoms and increases scores on standardized tests. So how do we get our kids back outside?

Bridging the Gap

In 2007, California created a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBR) and many states have since drafted their own versions. These lists of fundamental experiences are meant to nourish children’s physical, social and emotional development while connecting them to the outdoors through their backyards, neighborhoods, cities and region.

The COBR acts as a guide to encourage families to get out in nature ,realize the importance of these simple acts, recognize the bond created through these shared experiences, and feel the connection to one another and the outdoors.

How can You Get Involved?

Coach-Net encourages you to promote every child’s right to experience and explore nature so we’ve created our own Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights for you to use or you can see if your state has one with act ivies specific to your area.

We are asking our members and the outdoor enthusiast community to commit to making a difference in the life of a child by helping him or her check at least one of these activities off the list:

Swim in a lake or a river
Ride a bike
Follow a trail
Go on a picnic
Camp under the stars
Cook over a fire
Go fishing
Go boating
Smell a wildflower
Listen to the songs of birds, crickets or frogs
Walk barefoot in the grass
Fly a kite

As you complete each one, share your dedication to making a difference in the life of a child through your social media outlets by pinning, tweeting, and posting the images found here and help spread the word of encouragement to others to do the same.

If you commit to ensuring the children in your life have the opportunity to connect with nature at an early age and build upon that connection throughout their developing years, you are not only helping to build a foundation for them to become good stewards of the earth, you are creating a bond of shared experiences and ultimately a bridge over the widening generational gap.

Get Outdoors! The Health Benefits of Communing with Nature

06 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Coach-Net in Healthy Lifestyle

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benefits of nature, Get Outdoors, GO Day, healthy lifestyle

In today’s world, you go nonstop. You are plugged in from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. With computers, television, radio, and smartphones, we spend most of our days connected to something. Unfortunately, being plugged in can increase your already stressful and hectic life. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that it is important to unplug and reconnect with nature.

Scientists use the term biophilia to explain human’s need to be exposed to plants, skies, and natural environments (1). The health benefits to outdoor activities are essential to our lives.

One of the best ways to reconnect with nature is to plan a camping trip. Taking a week to unplug and recharge in nature may have you returning to your life refreshed and renewed. Camping is an adventure that is never the same experience twice, but will still give you all the benefits. So how does camping really help?

Resets Your Internal Clock – Insomnia, poor sleep, and sleep deprivation are all common in today’s world. In the past, humans rose with the sun and went to bed when it got dark. This circadian rhythm is interrupted by artificial light and alarms. By allowing your body to respond naturally to the cycles of the sun can put you back into rhythm (2).

Getting Exercise – While many people enjoy working out in a gym or spend their days rushing around, the exercise you get on a camping trip provides better health benefits. Activities such as hiking, walking, and biking outdoors all exposes you to natural sunlight as well as exercise. This can increase production of serotonin and vitamin D (3). Also, camping provides an opportunity to participate in activities, such as putting up a tent, building a campfire, and cooking, that allow us to move in different ways than your regular activities.

Healthy Eating – The limited access to fast food, pre-made foods, and processed foods while camping is a definite bonus. Cooking healthy meals over a campfire has the benefit of not only being healthier for your physical being, but your mental health as well. The back to basics style of Dutch Oven cooking and other dishes helps provide delicious foods as well as act as a stress buster (4). Packing other healthy snacks, such as trail mix, granola, and nuts add energy and enjoyment.

Social Connections – Without your family being glued to the television, playing on the computer, or texting, you have a chance to spend quality time together and reconnect. Getting to know your fellow campers can be fun as well. Many campgrounds offer activities such as nature walks, evening programs, and lectures that offer a chance to enjoy the nature around you (5).

Take the opportunity to get away from the stress and enjoy the world around you. Camping provides the best of health and healing benefits nature can offer. Pulling up stakes and getting out for a week in the woods will have you relaxed, rested, and ready to take on the world again.

Sources:

Coach-Net

~ Travel and Adventure Blog

Tag Archives: benefits of nature