This week I gave a series of workshops for the Nebraska Rec and Parks Association (NeRPA). I asked attendees what it was that first helped them to connect with nature, what fostered their love of wild things and their curiosity?

Every one who answered pointed to someone older who brought them outdoors. Most spoke of a father or a grandfather who took them camping, boating, or hiking. Some mentioned Girl Scout leaders who did the same.

What they all had in common: it wasn’t a technology or a technique that brought them into nature; it was a person who shared their love for nature, passing it down from one generation to another.

Selah.

(On my use of the word “selah,” which is probably idiosyncratic.)

Two deer, one doe and one fawn with white spots, stand partially hidden in a grassy field with sunlight illuminating the background. I took this photo in the Paha Sapa or Black Hills of South Dakota in the summer of 2026.