Donald Burton leads rafting trips on the McKenzie River to introduce kids to nature and the importance of conservation. The river is very clear and the kids see various wildlife, helping Burton's goal of showing them what they are missing by not spending time outside. Theresa Damron runs the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute to give people, especially children, the opportunity to explore old growth forests by climbing trees. At H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, kids from a local middle school learn tree climbing techniques and ascend 40 feet into the canopy, a transformative experience for many. Both Burton and Damron hope such experiences will inspire the children to want to protect important ecosystems like the McKenzie River watershed when they are older.

1. Get 'Em While They're Young
Conservation for the next generation
BY DAVE CONSTANTIN
No one needs to be convinced about the benefits of introducing kids to nature. It's a no-brainer. Each generation is
born more reliant on technology for its entertainment. So how can we keep the next crop interested in the world
outside cell phones, computers and iPods? A world that desperately needs their help? The answer is simple, say
educators: Show them what they're missing.
To a Rapid Recovery
"You see that," says Donald Burton, pointing to the stark, clear-cut hill that looms up behind us as we float down the
crystal waters of the McKenzie River. "They say that's from kids whose parents didn't teach them very well." The five
kids in the raft glance back at the giant, featureless dirt mound, silent. Burton watches their reactions and smiles,
his lesson received. The bleak outline of the stripped hill stands in striking contrast to the lush growth lining the
riverbanks. But Burton understands the river is no classroom. For the lessons to really sink in, it's vital for the kids
to simply have fun.
Burton is one of those everyday heroes, planning this late summer rafting trip in
his free time. He's teamed up with some kindred spirits in the Lane County Boys
and Girls Club, an organization dedicated to providing academic incentives and
responsible recreation to economically disadvantaged children. Most of the
adults on the trip are Burton's friends and neighbors, who share his dedication
to introducing kids to nature. Mel Bankoff, a neighbor of Donald's and the
founder of Eugene-based Emerald Valley Organics, has brought his 10-year-old son Marley along. "Kids are just
falling through the gaps in this country," says Bankoff. "This program is win, win, win, no matter how you look at
it."
Storm clouds loom overhead, but several feet below us, the river bottom glides by in full detail. The water is so clear
it feels like we're flying over the rocks. But it seldom gets above 50 degrees. When a couple of errant splashes with
the paddles turns into an all-out water fight between rafts, some occupants moan for a truce through chattering
teeth. But the kids are clearly enjoying themselves, and all around us, evidence of the river's health makes itself
known.
Someone points out a pair of osprey that have migrated from Brazil to mate here, and one of the kids spots a bald
eagle. Families of merganser ducks hide in the shadows, protecting their fuzzy fledglings from the giant, alien rafts.
When we reach the class III Martin's Rapids near the end, the shouts of glee from the kids serve as a clear sign of the
outing's success.
With more than 200,000 Oregonians receiving their drinking water from the McKenzie, these kids aren't the only
ones who need a lesson in keeping it healthy. The Bush administration has recently taken steps to weaken the
Northwest Forest Plan, once again opening vital stretches of the McKenzie watershed to logging. The ancient trees
here are prime fodder for timber companies. But they also act as anchors for a delicate ecosystem that filters and
purifies rainwater and snowmelt, keeping the river clean, clear and inviting. The hope of everyone on this trip is that
with enough experiences like this one, these kids will want to take a stand in the coming years to protect this
important ecosystem, instead of just letting it wash away.
Tree's Company
When Theresa Damron talks about red tree voles, her eyes light up and she speaks quietly, her voice full of childish
wonder. The red tree vole is a small rodent, unique to Oregon, that spends its entire life in the canopy of old-growth
trees, never touching the ground. I suspect Damron would probably do the same if she could. Instead, she's come up
with a way to introduce the public, especially children, to the curious world the voles inhabit.
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2. Damron runs The Pacific Tree Climbing Institute with her husband, Nathaniel Sperry, and her son Rob Miron. PTCI
supplements the couple's other business, Sperry Tree Care. Damron started this Eco-tourism company a year ago as
Oregon's answer to recreational tree climbing, an activity begun in Atlanta, Ga., 20 years ago with the goal of
making forest canopy exploration open to everyone. "I'm convinced change doesn't happen based on intellectual
knowledge," says Damron. "It happens based on a sense of emotional emergency. Climbing into the upper reaches
of an old growth forest is a transformational experience."
We're standing in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Blue River, where a group of school children have
assembled to climb a tree and, hopefully, walk away transformed. H.J. Andrews is a "living laboratory," where
scientists from all over the world come to research stream and forest ecosystems in an attempt to anticipate the
effects of natural and human impact.
On the Lookout Creek old-growth trail, the kids from Fern Ridge Middle School stand in a
neat line. Damron gives them a short introduction to their surroundings, reiterating the
importance of minimizing impact to the surrounding forest. She outfits some with helmets
and harnesses and directs them over to where Sperry, son Rob, and arborist Jason Seppa
wait at the base of a carefully chosen, 150-ft. Douglas fir rigged with climbing ropes. The
other kids take turns sitting crammed together in a "tree boat" (a hammock-like canvas
platform strong enough to hold a truck), suspended just off the ground, quietly practicing
knot-tying.
Twenty feet away, their friends are learning how to hoist themselves up the ropes toward
another tree boat suspended 40 feet over their heads. One by one, they all make the ascent.
Some of the girls return to the ground exhilarated and giddy from their accomplishment. But the boys, adhering to
strict middle school social codes, choose to play it cool, like they've done it all before.
Normally, PTCI shoots for the canopy, but with a group this large, speed and equal opportunity dictate a more
modest height. As the kids depart, assembly line style, the PTCI crew starts packing up gear. "I know we have some
impact on the area," says Damron, "but while we're standing here, this stuff is being clear-cut." I think back to the
lunar surface of that hill on the McKenzie. In my book, climbing ropes beat chainsaws any day. But then again, I've
felt that way since I was a kid.
For more information contact: Pacific Tree Climbing Institute at 461-9410, www.pacifictreecliming.com or Helfrich's McKenzie River Rafting at
726-5039, www.raft2fish.com or H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest at (541) 822-6300.
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