Too Precious To Lose

by Jennifer Cooper, posted on November 24th, 2015 in Science Fun, Traveling With Kids

*This is a sponsored post about a mission I deeply believe in.

Poets have been saying for generations — if you want to feel good about your fate and the fate of man, get off your duff and out into nature. Science supports the poets. Researchers have studied the effects of nature on our brains and the evidence is conclusive: spending time in nature is good for our hearts and our minds.

In fact, it’s not just good, but really, really good. It improves our mood, lowers our blood pressure, and significantly boosts our vitality. Did you know we’re even more caring and generous when exposed to nature? No doubt thanks to all those lovely endorphins at work. So given all the lovely things Nature does for us, isn’t it time we did something for it?

Have you seen this map floating around on social media? It shows the deforestation in the US since the 1600s. And oof, it’s pretty depressing. Even more depressing? Nature is still losing. America’s open spaces are disappearing at a rate of 6,000 acres a day.

But there is hope and help. The Trust for Public Land works to make sure we all have access to beautiful natural public spaces—from helping raise funds for conservation; to protecting and restoring natural spaces; to collaborating with communities to plan, design, and build parks, playgrounds, gardens, and trails.

The Trust for Public Land worked locally in Baltimore to create the Gwynns Falls Trail. It’s amazing to have this resource in the city. It’s so much green space! Or I guess, since it’s fall it’s more like vibrant yellow, orange and red space. While we were there, we saw so many people taking advantage of the free public space — hikers, trail runners, cyclists, and more. There was even a group of artists and stylists doing a photoshoot. The fall foliage was stunning; Nature’s ultimate photo backdrop.

As we walked I appreciated that because of the efforts of groups like The Trust for Public Land, all of this incredible space was protected and reserved just for us — the public! It’s a beautiful thing. Maybe it was all the nature getting to me; my mind, heart, and soul strengthened. Whatever the cause, I was feeling the love.

Please join me in celebrating the #OurLand campaign by sharing what nature means to you. Upload a photo and story to The Trust for Public Land site to create a postcard for the #OurLand movement. Let’s show Nature that we love her and want her to stick around for a very, very long time.

By adding your voice to the cause we can give Nature a fighting chance. Our natural spaces are far too precious to lose.

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