09/27/2026
I was recently charged with answering the question of what challenge our society faces most. It is difficult for me to choose one particular challenge facing the children, youth, and families of our community. In doing so, I feel it could be summed up by choosing litter. The potential for any one human to produce waste that must be discarded is part of existence. So, too, is the desire to create and cultivate that which we humans care about. Might I suggest that it is the loss of such drive for creativity and cultivation in our society which begets such actions as one’s proclivity to overlook the discarding of their own waste production? Evidence suggests that societies increased detachment from natural environments continues to degrade the overall health of our family structures. The litter epidemic is one that faces all walks of life on earth. Data supports that humans’ attention to their own personal responsibilities toward waste impact has been removed generationally. The loss of engaged community elders, and their position in society to cultivate ritual and understanding in our children and youth has resulted in a continuous breakdown of family structure. We as a society have become so divided there are few things that we can all agree on. Those of us who see the trash problem often overlook our own involvement in the process, and those whom are viewed as the source have long been forgotten by the aforementioned. This division creates an endless cycle of judgment. Meanwhile the disconnection between parents and children further depletes our society’s trajectory. If we are not connected to something, we are less likely to care about it. If we don’t care about it, how can we teach others to care?
We at the CRC believe that a multitiered approach at reconnecting the community with the outdoors can provide a link towards social revitalization of the conservation mindset.
Our renewed membership organization will seek to educate community leaders to raise awareness of better management practices for day-to-day life, and reengage the community with river-based outdoor activities, rooted in conservation practice and environmental stewardship.
Staff, volunteers, and members can share in the opportunity, both in and out of the classroom, to further educate children and youth on these same principles.
