School Yard 'Green Spaces' Are Biologically Bereft

During a morning recess break, I watched as a group of five-year-old's gathered around a diminutive figure that lay motionless on their asphalt playground.

"Come help it," they called out to me.

"What is it?" I asked, kneeling down to join their circle.

"It's a grasshopper, and it's sick," added a little girl whose bouncing ponytail emphasized her distress. The area seemed an unlikely landing spot for a grasshopper with only a long strip of Kentucky bluegrass and ten mature shade trees. Not even a single dandelion poked their white or yellow fluffy heads through the sea of turf.

"Perhaps a bird dropped it," I said, noticing that one leg was missing.

A boy returned to the group, with a partially dead leaf. He carefully scooped it off the ground and passed it to me.

"Help save it!" Images of the single grasshopper who visited my garden the past summer, lightly hopped through my memory. "I'm sorry friends, but I don't think it's alive. Let's bury it."

"Where?" they asked, looking down at their various styles of colored shoes, as if the hard cracked, black surface they stood on might soften enough for a burial.

"Let's take the grasshopper over to a tree and bury him there," I replied.

"How do you know it's a boy?" another voice piped up.

"I just do," I replied, as line drawings of grasshopper gender floated into my mind. They were upset, and I had only another five minutes left for my prep time.

About half of the group arrived at our destination, and as I dug a shallow, insect-sized grave, I wondered how old we are when we lose our concern, and keen interest in insects and the natural world. We were all silent when I placed the leaf on top of the little grave, then they were off like a flock of startled starlings.

They ran toward a big toy composed of metal and plastic, running around and through it with whoops and laughter.

How many hours, I reflected did they touch or interact with something natural?

When would they lose their interest and pleasure in exploring nature?

E.O. Wilson, the imminent entomologist and naturalist, shared the history of his 'bug love' during an interview on the "Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science:"

I became a naturalist probably at the age of 9. I became so devoted to it that I decided even at early as that, 9 or 10, that I was going to be an entomologist when I grew up. I just loved bugs. Of course, most kids are interested in them. Kids do have a bug period. Some never grow out of it. And I was one of those that never did. The interest in insects was compounded by a fascination with wild environments.

How to become an ardent 'homie defender' of ecosystems

Our children spend a significant amount of their time at school and deserve the exterior of their educational edifices to be as inspirational as the interior. Not only will biodiversity benefit them mentally, and emotionally, but it will inspire their creativity. The creation of micro-forests, pollinator habitats, and community gardens on school grounds can become part of the great patchwork of habitat our world needs for wildlife, nutritious food, and most importantly-- for insects and birds.

Jason Mark wrote an essay titled: "Antidotes for Ecological Forgetfulness.Bear witness, make a record, pass it on," for the November 21, 2022 High Country News magazine. He discusses the astonishing disappearance of bird populations in North America that have plummeted. Many of the very common species have significantly decreased since the 1970's. The main reasons cited are habitat loss and pesticide use. On example he discussed was the loss of 720 million birds and the immense swathes of grasslands that once covered the Great Plains. This indescribably diverse habitat called the 'Serengeti of North America,' is now covered with monoculture crops.

In the last couple of generations, the North America continent has witnessed an estimated loss of three billion birds. Some examples of avian losses in southwestern species are a 37% decrease in Western meadowlarks and an astounding 85% loss of Western piñon jay.

Did you notice?

Perhaps not. The essay further describes when old and young individuals were interviewed, they hadn't even noticed the declines that happened right before their eyes. The reason is due to a psychological phenomena called the 'shifting baseline syndrome.' Fisheries biologist Daniel Pauly created this term that describes how humans respond to changes in the non-human world. Researchers further explained how this is the way our unreliable memories blind us to the magnitude of environmental changes.

Why are we smiling?

In one investigation, a researcher reviewed dockside photographs of trophy fisherman in Key West taken between 1957-2007. During that time, the fish got significantly smaller, and their average weight shrank by nearly 90%. Yet, the smiles of the anglers in the photos stayed the same size.

What are the anecdotes to collective amnesia?

After reading the essay, students enrolled in my Environmental Studies course responded with optimism to despair when asked: "What are the anecdotes to collective amnesia and the shifting baseline syndrome?"

"Getting outside and being around everything that is going on." KC

"The main idea is to go outside notice what is happening try to fix the environment and leave a better earth for the next generation." AB

"Because of the massive growth of 'man,' we've moved into a new era. Because of this rapid progression the essay urges people to focus on remember to care for the environment. The mass "forgetfulness" is caused by the new environment that we've created. With new media the environment became old news and leading to people losing track of the earth's progression and current status. This article urges us to care of the earth and to learn more about wildlife." JG

"We, us humans are F*@! ourselves. My cure for this and believe me I've genuinely thought about this, we have to start over like a post-apocalyptic novel. We're too messed up in every aspect and at this rate going forward at this bullet train speed, hoping to fix things as we are now, we'll simply drive humanity to our death." LA

"I liked the way the author personalized this and asks us the readers to think about things." SC

"Also, exercising outside can help and we need to change our habits Scientists are trying to find a way to stop the amnesia. They realize that being out in nature and earth it helps with your memory." FF

"My response is that the amnesia to ecological things going on is so true. We barely go outside anymore. Which causes or blindness to what's going on. Ecological forgetfulness is something all of our world struggles with. If everyone was forced to go outside for a whole day I think we would all realize how messed up our humans have destroyed the earth." RA

"A lot of birds have gone extinct, and the people that hadn't noticed were said to have 'shifting baseline syndrome' that is a from of amnesia. They believe that neuroscience can help with this. Doing things like, more exercise outside, more attentiveness when outside will help restore memory." KH

"I think the main idea is that we have to be conscious of our actions." LM

"It begins telling how bird populations have been declining. Then tells you about a collective amnesia. We can not forget and ways to help remember to help the future." AF

"We forget things a lot but writing things down helps. Be outside as much as you can to cure the 'shifting baseline syndrome." Ecological memory alone will not get us out of our environmental crisis." AS

"This article was beautiful. Is showed what is happening and the anecdotes to our forgetfulness. I respect the anecdotes, they are so good and could help the world become better." RI

A simple, yet profound solution

Due to rapid urbanization in Washington County, Utah where this 2022-2023 academic study was conducted, only 8% of agricultural lands remain. There is one simple solution, replace turf-dominate school landscapes with diverse native plant and pollinator habitats, that are intermixed with restorative agricultural projects. Our schools, children and community urgently need these rewilding and agroecology areas, because studies show that 'shifting baseline syndrome' influences perceptions about our changing climate and influences whether children will develop a commitment to environmental protection, or not.

We need these natural habitats, and garden areas as do all of the organisms that feed our minds and bodies. Not only would they provide living classrooms where ecological principles would be discovered, but these native landscapes would foster curiosity, curate compassion for other living organisms, and balance emotions. Moreover, the gardens would connect students to their food systems, increase healthier eating habits and the knowledge that we are all one.

References cited:

High Country Magazine: Antidotes for Ecological Forgetfulness. Bear Witness, make a record, pass it on. Jason Mark. November 21, 2022.

Utah State University: Agriculture In The Classroom Curriculum and Lesson Plans

Nature Conservancy: The Great Plains