In this edition of Radio Curious we’re visiting with Helen Menasian, director of the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project located north of Ukiah, California. Ukiah is a small town in a long narrow valley that has been occupied by the Pomo people for about 11,000 years, until about 150 years ago when Europeans and other settlers from out of the area came and the wilderness of the Ukiah valley became interrupted with pavements, waterworks and mechanical sounds.
The book ‘Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder’ by Richard Louv describes some of the central ethos behind the importance of outdoor education for children. The book reminds us that parents have the power to ensure that their son or daughter will not be ‘the last child in the woods,’ and discusses the importance of the nature-child reunion. During this conversation we hear how the ‘Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project’ encourages this connection. We began by asking Helen Menasian to explain just what the project does.
This interview was recorded in the studios or Radio Curious, Ukiah California on February 8th 2010.
The book Helen Menasian recommends is “The Last Child In The Woods” by Richard Louv
