Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society writes a weekly column for wildnewjersey.tv. His latest is on Earth Day, and it begins something like this…

We have come a long way since the first Earth Day 44 years ago today. The Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act has helped bring back the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Osprey back from the brink of extinction to where they have become almost a common sight even here in densely populated New Jersey.

But even as climate change threatens the future of our planet our biggest challenge ahead may be getting people to reconnect with the nature that exists right around them, every day in their local communities and even in their own backyards. …

Children have lost their connection to the trees, bugs and birds that past generations grew up with. We will not be able to expect that there will be new conservationists or nature lovers that will care enough to protect the Bald Eagle, save the Monarch Butterfly, or preserve wildlife habitat if they grow up afraid of a Bumblebee or never touch a wildflower.

The link is here.