Laura Bush Joins National Park Foundation in Everglades to Launch Eco-Contest for Kids
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 02. 6.08
With a recent study revealing a 20% drop in youth participation in outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and camping since the 1980’s, I think it’s worthwhile to point out that Mrs. Bush and the National Park Foundation teamed up recently in the Everglades to announce this year's Junior Rangers Essay Contest. The theme being: "What can you do now to turn over a 'new leaf' for the environment and preserve our national parks?"
The contest itself is open to children from 9-12 years old, with the grand prize being a family trip to the Everglades on Earth Day to star in an Electronic Field Trip, essentially a virtual outing that will be presented in schools across the U.S. examining native and exotic plants in our national park system.
It seems this could be an essay contest worth engaging with kids near you. For as Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation puts it, “By teaching our children the value of conservation and preservation though programs like the Jr. Ranger Essay Contest, we are teaching America's youth how to protect these special places for generations to come."
See also:: Thoreau Inspires High School in the Woods , The TH Interview: Bill Nye the Science Guy
via:: National Park Foundation
Irony?
It's nice to see the Bushes are finally taking the environment more seriously. Obviously, lame duck Bush isn't going to do anything but check out his progress:
http://www.managedq.com/search.php?q=president+bush+global+warming
Now while I love the idea of junior-whatever-whatever-contests maybe Mrs.B would spend her time better talking to Mr.B and getting him to stop doing things like this
You know what? I don't give a damn what environmental foundation Laura Bush joins; it doesn't do a meager thing to undo the damage her husband has inflicted with his policies and cronyism towards big businesses who treat our national public natural heritage as their private property.
The most egregious of these are Bush's political support of mountain top removal coal mining, which has destroyed 470 mountains in Appalachia, destroyed waterways, and turned those purple mountain majesties into permanently ruined moonscapes. See this link to get an idea of the horror inflicted by mountain top removal mining: http://www.ilovemountains.org/
While her husband is indirectly responsible (more likely used as a puppet) for killing hundreds of thousands of human beings, this one actually killed someone herself- by running a red light.
And she's extremely stupid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPQS9Fra_1s