High School Students Connect With Nature To 'Save Mount Diablo'

WALNUT CREEK, CA — “Today, kids spend less time outside than prison inmates, with the average child playing freely outside for just four to seven minutes a day.” — 2017 report by The Patch Ahead, commissioned by the REI Co-op.

In an effort to get teens outside and to mentor a new generation of conservationists, Save Mount Diablo is working with students at Antioch High School on an educational and experiential Conservation Collaboration Agreement.

The agreement combined the resources of the students with Diamond Construction. Ted Clement, Save Mount Diablo’s Executive Director, said, “Save Mount Diablo is incredibly grateful for, and inspired by, Antioch High School and Diamond Construction stepping up to learn about, get connected to, and help protect the beautiful Mount Diablo natural areas through our Conservation Collaboration Agreement program. This type of leadership is directly addressing the disturbing trend of ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ in our modern culture.”

On Nov.14, Save Mount Diablo staff and naturalist Judy Adler taught and led the participating students of and the employees of Diamond Construction in a nature service project, involving the removal of invasive plant species, and interpretive nature hike at Big Bend property along Marsh Creek Road.

The outing also included a contemplative journal writing exercise reflecting on their part in the Mount Diablo natural area. John Muir, the father of national parks and the modern environmental movement, would regularly make personal, solo time for quiet contemplation in nature – including on top of Mount Diablo.

The average American now spends about 95 percent of their life indoors.

Antioch High School teacher Jessica Govoni said, “Save Mount Diablo’s Conservation Collaboration Agreement Program was a great experience for students to get out from behind their desks and their phones and explore nature. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! I look forward to working with you now and in the coming years.”

Jeff Stone, Principal of Diamond Construction, added, “Having the privilege to support such an important cause is truly cherished by our organization. Our personal interactions with the students, our own reflective time in nature, and the thoughtful presentation by Save Mount Diablo staff and volunteers, made this a resounding success.”