by Tina Kelly –
Prevention is the best medicine. To prevent scurvy, take vitamin C. To avoid osteoporosis, experts recommend a combination of vitamin D, calcium and magnesium. Try vitamin B for stress and for excellent vision, take enough vitamin A. To prevent Nature Deficit Disorder, the prescribed vitamin is N.
Nature Deficit Disorder first appeared in 2005. Not the disorder itself, but rather the term coined by author Richard Louv in his bestseller Last Child in the Woods. Louv’s book was a battle cry against the trend of decreased time for children to play and explore in nature; outdoor time was being replaced by TV, video games and indoor play. Louv correlated this lack of nature with the rise in obesity, attention deficit, and depression and argues “direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.” Louv’s follow up book – Vitamin N: the Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life – touts vitamin N as the prophylaxis for this disorder. Vitamin N isn’t purchased in a bottle; vitamin N is nature.
Geography blesses us with countless locations for a healthy dose of vitamin N, but I polled those whose job it is to know nature – park naturalists and environmental educators – and received the low-down on their favourite spots around the Capital Region.
Not surprisingly, many of their responses involve the sea. Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park, Island View Regional Park and Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site all made the list. Highlights of the latter are beach access, a rich intertidal zone and sweeping views of Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains. Robyn, Parks Canada Interpretation Coordinator, appreciates the site’s varied ecosystems including a beautifully restored Garry oak meadow.
Garry oak ecosystems, although significantly fragmented throughout the region, are havens for birds and rare plants. Another recommended pocket of Garry oaks can be found in Uplands Park; this park – with a striking ocean view – is extremely visitor friendly with trails, benches, and picnic spaces.
For one local park naturalist, mountains are her medicine: Mt. Work, Mt. Wells and Mt. Manual Quimper. If mountain heights are daunting, the centrally located Christmas Hill popped up in the survey. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a local gem featuring marshland, trails, and a nature house.
A special place for Tracey, CRD Parks Coordinator of Environmental Interpretation, is Heritage Grove in Francis/King Regional Park. This lush landscape features a dense understory of ferns and moss towered over by 500-year-old Douglas fir.
One spot repeatedly popping up for Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea team members is Gowlland Todd Provincial Park. Skirting the east side of Saanich Inlet, this 1,280-hectare park boasts access to mountains and ocean, 25 kilometres of trails, rich biodiversity, meadows, old growth forest and a wetland.
Enjoying nature doesn’t necessarily require planning, commitment, and a car; you’ll be surprised what pockets of nature are nestled in your neighbourhood. Look for a park, trail, creek, stand of trees or community garden.
Vitamin C: $7.99. Calcium: $10.99. Vitamin A: $8.99. Vitamin N: free. Where will you get your next dose?
Your underwater Vitamin N prescription can be filled at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
