Fundamentally, being outside is good for people. Being in the woods, listening to the birds, watching the leaves growing on the trees, when it is quiet, and nothing is there to occupy your mind, makes all the stress you have seems useless.
There are 63 National Parks in the United States, with nine in California, the most for any state. Beyond that, there are countless national forests, state forests and state parks that are much more common, protecting more of the land’s ecosystems. Still, many assumptions are made about the woods that are harmful. For starters, the Smokey Bear ad “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires,” ignores the importance of a cleaner burn that actually helps keep the forest healthy by clearing out weedy undergrowth and enriching the soil so new trees can grow in the place of old ones. In fact, burning was a part of indigenous people’s practices, who long ago would set sections of the woods on fire to clear out the underbrush that would keep away their animals. Humans have a natural fear of fire and getting burned. I struggle with this when baking, but a controlled burn is actually more beneficial to a woodland ecosystem than never getting burned at all. When forests aren’t burned often enough, when they do catch on fire, it is often even more deadly. Wildfires harm everyone in its path, because the flammable underbrush hadn’t been removed. Secondly, bears. The actual dangers bears and other wild animals pose are much exaggerated, most likely due to the few and far between desperate beasts that would target humans. The average number of bear attacks per year in North America is 11, and even less are fatal attacks. The attacks that do occur are usually due to people surprising a bear, Bearvault, a bear aware website states. A few national parks have asked people to stop wearing earbuds while they explore, because being aware of your surroundings is what will keep you safe.Many people in rural areas are perfectly safe, with minimal protections in place to protect their herd animals; most of which would never approach a human. For those who worry about bears, creating loud noises while you explore the forest is usually enough to warn them of your presence, and they will leave the area long before you ever catch sight of them. Most of the places you can go to enjoy the outdoors are used often, and whatever animal that could harm you is likely not in the area. Most of the creatures that are dangerous are so remote you will never encounter them, unless you actively seek them out. They do not want to eat you. We promise. Finally, the woods don’t need our help. The ecosystems do need our protection, usually from the harm we put them in. The beautiful places we can access need to be respected in order for them to still be there far into the future. Things like walking on the path only, not ripping up plants, respecting local fishing rules, hunting in season, will preserve our natural spaces for years to come. The outdoors are important to all of us. Most of us hold the Blue Ridge dear. Natural spaces need and deserve our love, and everyone should be dedicated to protecting them. Go outside. Worst case scenario, you get eaten by a bear (no you won’t).
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I am CarolineI write and edit the opinion pieces for the Willis Hall Herald. I usually write on issues concerning the environment Archives
February 2025
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