Children who take the time to explore what nature has to offer are more likely to become advocates for protecting it. Valley News/Courtesy photo
OCHOPEE, Fla. – Plenty of older Americans hold fond childhood memories of climbing trees, catching frogs and engaging in endless hours of tag or hide-and-seek with friends.Most children today, though, spend much less time outdoors, with their recreational hours instead devoted to TV, video games and computers, a trend that has nature advocates concerned.“If they don’t feel a connection to nature, they aren’t going to feel it’s important,” Clyde Butcher, a nature photographer who since the 1980s has helped bring national awareness to the Everglades through black-and-white photographs that have been compared to the works of Ansel Adams. “The question is, how do we get them to make that connection. The answer is that the responsibility lies with you and me. I think it’
