Letter: Take advantage of Utah's many opportunities to enjoy nature

I read with great interest, and some sadness, the front page article about less people, especially less young people, recreating outdoors in our beautiful state ("Survey shows fewer people hunt, fish in Utah," Sept. 16).

My wife and I love to fish the canyon streams and lakes here in Utah. We always make it a point to take kids fishing every summer. I think that the diminishing percent of youth enjoying the outdoors is a serious problem.

I want to recommend a book to all parents called "Last Child in the Woods." The author points out that the lack of connecting to nature is a contributing factor to many of the problems our youth are having. As a science teacher I can see the "Nature Intelligence" that is there in students who get off the electronics and out into nature to hunt, or fish or just hike the trails.

We live in such a beautiful state. We can drive 5-20 minutes and be up a canyon in nature, where it feels like we are far from the big city.

Please parents, take your kids fishing, or hunting or have a picnic up the canyon once in a while. Do something to raise the "Nature IQ" of your children, and I suspect that they will be better behaved; be more interested in nature and science; and have a more positive outlook of the world we live on.

Robin Lyman

American Fork