What if I told you that there is a place where you can pursue almost any outdoor activity your heart desires? This is a place with miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, biking, or running. The thousand acres of terrain are varied from farm fields, to dense woods, to spectacular bluffs overlooking a river. Sandy beaches line the riverbanks, offering several miles of natural, uninhabited shorefront for fishing, swimming, or paddling. A variety of wildlife calls this place home; from foxes and deer patrolling the land to bald eagles and osprey soaring overhead. Hunters, birders, and outdoor enthusiasts would be hard-pressed to find another piece of public land that could offer them so many options.
You’d think that such a place would attract crowds of people, and yet for a couple of hours on Earth Day my dogs and I had the entire place to ourselves. I’m writing about Sassafras Natural Resources Management Area (NRMA), which may be one of Kent County’s best kept secrets. It seems impossible to hide 1,000 acres, but a surprising number of people have no idea that this gem lies tucked away in the northern part of the County. The parking lot, big enough to accommodate at least 30 vehicles, rarely contains more than three cars.
If you’ve never been there and you have an interest in any of the activities mentioned in the first paragraph, I strongly urge you to make plans to visit this spring. If you have been there, why not bring someone new to the park with you next time?
As we reflect on what it means to be good stewards of the planet, I can’t overstate how important it is to incorporate new folks into your outdoor activities. Before people will value something, they must first know it exists. Think of your couch potato friend or a child who spends his/her weekends on the computer. Perhaps they stay inside because they don’t know any different. Perhaps nature makes them think uncomfortable thoughts involving bugs, poison ivy, and sunburn
If you are someone who enjoys time spent outdoors, you can offer your services as a conduit between this intrepid soul and the natural world. Just like a child learning to ride a bike benefits from training wheels, your companion will appreciate guidance as they explore “foreign” territories.
I loved jogging the trails of Sassafras NRMA last Sunday and hearing only the chirps of bald eagles and the pitter-patter of raindrops making their way through the leaves. I enjoy the solitude that nature provides. But, if I pulled into the parking lot one day and found it filled with cars, I would be thrilled.
Enjoyment of nature cannot be an elitist pursuit, but rather an activity for the masses. We need to encourage others to come outside with us. If outdoor spaces continue to be viewed as foreign territories or hidden gems, these places will not survive.
At the KICK Film Festival, Echo Hill Outdoor School presented the movie Play Again (https://playagainfilm.com/). The film contained a quote from Charles Jordan which neatly sums up this point, “What they do not value, they will not protect. And what they do not protect, they will lose.”
As the Earth Day celebration fades into our rearview, remember that planting trees, recycling, and taking shorter showers are all positive actions that will help the health of our planet. But can any of those things compare to the impact you could have by teaching a child how to skip a stone along the Sassafras River?
<em>To learn more about the Sassafras Natural Resources Management Area, visit here
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