Etiquette Versus Intention by Sarah Tilt

This article was first shared in a One Montana Newsletter on June 14, 2023.

I want to share a personal story that I hope will serve as a reminder for all of us as we hit the trails this summer and help everyone to be respectful of the different reasons we come to the trail, and of our public resources.
 
On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I took my three dogs and went for a walk on some state land near my home. I have a 6-month-old puppy, Izzy, so I am careful about the places I take her to walk. She has never met a person or a dog she doesn’t want to say hello to and is exuberant. I avoid popular places like Peets Hill (although she has been there a couple of times). And I know that in the first five minutes of our walk she may not mind me as she should.
 
I arrived at the parking lot and was surprised by the number of cars and considered leaving. A few minutes into our walk I noticed a woman heading down the trail with a small dog on a leash. I leaned down to pick up poop from one of my other dogs and saw Izzy running straight for her. I attempted to call Izzy back, but I had been negligent and left it too late. Izzy ran straight towards her. The woman picked up her dog. I called out that she was a puppy and wouldn’t hurt her dog and moved up the trail more quickly to get a hold of Izzy. The woman began yelling at me to get my dog under control. With Izzy firmly in control, I apologized but she continued to yell. I was in the wrong. There is no question I should have had better control over Izzy. And I don’t know if the woman was scared, thought Izzy would hurt her dog, or had other concerns. The woman continued to yell at me as she walked down the trail. No amount of “I am sorry” was going to help.

We each came to the same shared space with different intentions for our hikes. Without meaning to I very likely ruined her walk, or perhaps her day.
 
I continued my hike but veered in a different direction to avoid further run ins. I spent my entire walk feeling badly and thinking about the different reasons we come to our trails. I choose to go to state land because there are few places I can go with three dogs and let them run. These runs also serve as training opportunities. My puppy runs with a “check cord” which is part of her training (and could also be one of the reasons the woman was so upset because it can tangle around paws and feet of other humans and dogs).
 
I also have the proper license to use state lands. Unfortunately, I suspect that most people on the trail that day, and most days, do not have the required State Land Recreation License either through ignorance or disregard despite posted signage.
 
When the state of Montana was established in 1889, the Federal Government granted 5.2 million acres to the state to generate funding for schools and other public institutions. These lands are leased for grazing, farming, and logging to generate income. Most of these state lands are open for recreational access, including hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, and horseback riding among other activities.
 
That Saturday I saw runners, bikers, hikers, equestrians, and even some folks heading out to practice archery. Living in Montana we are so lucky to have a tremendous amount of public access and vast, beautiful places to recreate. We cannot take this access or our state lands for granted.
 
What is not widely understood is that a license is needed to use state lands. Hunters, anglers and trappers purchase a Montana Conservation License with their hunting or fishing license which includes a fee that provides them with legal access to state lands for fishing, hunting and trapping. Other recreational activities such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding require the purchase of a State Land Recreation Use License. Camping, gathering or cutting wood and other collection activities require additional permits.
 
We should care about and respect these open places. Having the legal license is the right thing to do and it supports our public education and our land and water resources.
 
My behavior and my dogs were not up to par that morning, a reminder not to be smug. In addition, it is becoming more and more abundantly clear we all need to be responsible for knowing etiquette, and the rules and regulations of where you are recreating. And we need to remember all of us may be enjoying our public spaces in different ways.

Remember to be Outside Kind this summer and be kind to each other and the land.

Health Benefits of Being Outdoors

“… an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.
”

— William Wordsworth, Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey (1798)

“It is a scientific fact that the occasional contemplation of natural scenes of an impressive character, particularly if this contemplation occurs in connection with relief from ordinary cares, change of air and change of habits, is favorable to the health and vigor of men and especially to the health and vigor of their intellect…  ”

— Frederick Law Olmsted, Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove (1865)

 When Wordsworth, Olmsted and others offered their observations, there was little in the way of supporting research. Today, motivated by the health issues of obesity, depression, ADHD, and pervasive nearsightedness, a growing body of research documents how spending time outside, and being active, secures a wealth of potential benefits, from increasing our immune response to improving short-term memory (Williams 2016).

 As we enter the 21st Century, half the human population lives in cities. This urbanized humanity is forecast to rise to 70 percent with the next few decades. Spending up to seven hours per day staring at screens of their mobile devices and computer screens (exclusive of school time!), today’s children are likely to spend half as much time outdoors as their parents.

 Richard Louv (2012) cautions that our growing disconnect with nature, our “nature-deficit disorder,” threatens our health, our spirit, our economy, and our future stewardship of the environment. He observes that the more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need to achieve natural balance, and that the mind/body/nature connection (vitamin N), will enhance our physical and mental health.

Watching people at play outdoors.

 Simply stated, being outdoors is good for our mental and physical health. An increasing body of research suggests that people benefit from a “minimum dose of nature.” Here are some insights:

 1) Getting Outdoors [typically] Increases Physical Activity.  While you can be active at home or at the gym, we tend to be more active outdoors, from raking leaves to taking a hike. This is particularly true with children who commonly spend a good deal of time indoors, sitting down, and sedentary with their electronic media. One study, which tracked the activity of 1,000 children, found that the children were more than doubly active when they were outside (Harvard Health Letter, 2010).

 As Lee (2017) observes, “Think about how much of your time indoors is spent remaining relatively motionless, such as sitting in front of a computer or in a meeting, texting on the toilet or staring at the Kardashians on television. Can you really do the same outdoors without feeling odd or being arrested? Being outdoors in many ways forces you to be more active. Trails make you hike. Hills and mountains make you climb them. Bigfoot makes you run.”

 “If outdoor activity encourages more activity, then it is a good thing,” says Jacqueline Kerr, a professor at the University of California, San Diego. After all, “despite the fitness industry boom, we are not seeing changes in national physical activity levels, so gyms are not the answer” (Reynolds, 2013).

 2) Sunshine & Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps defend us against everything from cancer and osteoporosis to heart attacks and stroke. Many of us who spend more and more time indoors don't have enough vitamin D. Getting outdoors in the sunshine on a regular basis and exposing our arms and legs for 10-15 minutes will give us a beneficial dose of the “sunshine vitamin.”

 A note on sun screen. While sun screens are important to protect our skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light, they also inhibit production of Vitamin D since they work to block ultraviolet B (UVB) light, which causes sunburn but also the generation of vitamin D. To strike a balance, experts recommend we get our Vitamin D producing sun for short periods, while using sun screen when out for extended periods, particularly during the middle of the day.

 3) Nature Improves Mental Health. Research suggests that when we get outdoors in a natural setting, city park or wildness, our minds get an escape from the busywork, slow down, and simply enjoy the surroundings. The experience restores our energy and sharpens our mental performance. A study conducted by the University of Queensland (2016) demonstrated that 30 minutes of nature exposure per week reduced depression prevalence by up to seven percent.

 Researchers at Stanford University (Jordan 2015) found that people who walk for 90 minutes in nature, as opposed to high-traffic urban settings, showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression. City dwellers were found to have a 20 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders and a 40 percent higher risk of mood disorders as compared to people in rural areas. People born and raised in cities are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia.

 4) Boost to Concentration. Playing off ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Richard Louv (2006) coined the term "nature-deficit disorder" in Last Child in the Woods. In fact, research has found that children with ADHD seem to focus better after being outdoors. A University of Illinois (2008) study found that children with ADHD scored higher on a test of concentration after a walk through a park than after a walk through a residential neighborhood or downtown area.

 5) Helps Prevent Nearsightedness. Nearsightedness (myopia) has been on the rise in children in recent years. In parts of the world where people spend most of their time indoors, rates of myopia have skyrocketed. By adulthood, one in three people in the United States has myopia. In parts of Asia, more than 95 percent of children and teens may wear glasses to correct for myopia. A Canadian study (Science News 2016) found that for one additional hour of outdoor time per week, the risk a child will develop myopia drops by about 14 percent. A systematic review looked at 25 recently published studies and found increased outdoor time to be protective for the development of myopia – about an extra 1.25 hours per day compared with control/baseline time spent outdoors reduced the risk of onset of myopia by 50%. Time outdoors had a stronger protective effect in children aged 6 years compared with kids aged 11 to 12 years enrolled in longitudinal studies (Brien Holden, 2017).

 Forest Service Literature Review. The U.S. Forest Service Ecosystem Service Team in Portland, Oregon worked to translate scientific findings from a literature search. Their findings:

• Researchers are demonstrating the positive effects of nature on blood pressure, cholesterol, outlook on life, and stress reduction. It has also proved beneficial to those with attention deficit disorder (Kuo and Taylor 2004).

• People who walk 15 to 30 minutes a day are healthier than people who don’t—they have fewer diseases, are less likely to get cancer, have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, and have better bone density.

• Walking improves digestion and decreases the risk of intestinal cancer, reduces risk of type II diabetes, and reduces insulin dependency of diabetics. Walking recalibrates energy/fat storage so the body becomes more efficient and trim. Walking helps the kidneys, the lymphatic system, and the joints. It also diminishes some types of arthritis (Hartman 2006).

• Research at Duke University in 1999 found that a brisk 30-minute walk three times a week was more effective in reducing depression symptoms than Zoloft® alone or Zoloft® and walking, and walkers were less likely to have a recurrence of depression (Hartman 2006).

• “Parks and other natural environments are a fundamental health resource, particularly in terms of disease prevention” (Maller et al. 2008).

• Spending time in nature also has been linked to longevity and decreased risk of mental illness in studies in Scandinavia and the Netherlands (De Vries et al. 2003, Grahn and Stigsdotter 2003).

• Health benefits of nature may also have relevance to injury prevention and control, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, and other maladies, including cancer (Li 2009).

• A Japanese study of men and women on a 3-day/2-night trip to a forest included short walks each day (Li 2009). Blood and urine samples were tested during and following the trip. Results suggest that a monthly trip in nature could provide maintenance levels of cells that work to prevent cancer generation and development, among other benefits.

• Breathing in antimicrobial compounds found in the essential oils of trees increases relaxation and improves stress management resulting in increased vitality and less anxiety, depression, and anger. It also may decrease risk of psychosocial-stress related diseases.

 So the next time that someone tells you to “take a hike,” thank them and get outside.

 References

Brien Holden Vision Institute. 2017. Time Spent Outdoors – How Effective in Myopia Prevention and Control? https://www.brienholdenvision.org/news/item/102-time-spent-outdoors-how-effective-in-myopia-prevention-and-control.html

 De Vries, S.; Verheij, R.; Groenewegen, H.; Spreeuwenberg, P. 2003. Natural environments—healthy environments? An exploratory analysis of the relationship between green space and health. Environment and Planning. 35(10): 1717–1731.

Ferguson, Jill. 2017. 5 benefits of being outdoors. June 10, 2017. (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5-benefits-of-being-outdoors_us_5938266ce4b014ae8c69dce0)

Grahn, P.; Stigsdotter, U.A. 2003. Landscape planning and stress. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 2: 1–18.

 Hartmann, T. 2006. Walking your blues away: how to heal the mind and create emotional well-being. Rochester, VT: Park St. Press. 112 p.

 Harvard Health Letter. 2010. A prescription for better health: go alfresco, July, 2010. (https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/a-prescription-for-better-health-go-alfresco)

 Jordan, Rob. 2015. Stanford researchers find mental health prescription: Nature. Study finds that walking in nature yields measurable mental benefits and may reduce risk of depression. https://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental-health-063015/

 Kuo, F.; Taylor, A. 2004. A potential natural treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health. 94(9): 1580–1586.

 Lee, Bruce Y. 2017. 10 Health Problems That the Outdoors Can Help Prevent And Treat. Forbes, January 8, 2017

 Li, Q. 2009. Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 15(1): 9–17.

 Louv, Richard. 2006. Last Child in the Woods- Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 334 pages.

 Louv, Richard. 2012. The Nature Principle- Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 330 pages.

 Maller, C.; Townsend, M.; St. Leger, L.; et al. 2008. Healthy parks, healthy people: the health benefits of contact with nature in a park context. Melbourne, Australia: Deakin University and Parks Victoria.

 PerfectMind Blog. 10 Health Benefits of an Outdoor Lifestyle. http://blog.perfectmind.com/10-health-benefits-of-an-outdoor-lifestyle

 Reynolds, Gretchen. 2013. The benefits of exercising outdoors. New York Times, February 21, 2013. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/the-benefits-of-exercising-outdoors/?_r=1

 Oosthoek, Sharon. 2016. Outdoor time is good for your eyes. Science News, December 20, 2016. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/outdoor-time-good-your-eyes

 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2008. A Walk in the Park Improves Attention in Children with ADHD. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081015120742.htm

 University of Queensland. 2016. Dose of Nature is just what the doctor ordered. https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/06/dose-of-nature-just-what-doctor-ordered

 U.S. Forest Service. Health and Wellness Benefits of Spending Time in Nature. https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/about/programs/gsv/pdfs/health_and_wellness.pdf

 Wallace, Jennifer. 2017. Why it’s good for grown-ups to go play. Washington Post,  May 20, 2017 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-its-good-for-grown-ups-to-go-play/2017/05/19/99810292-fd1f-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html?utm_term=.865e78b83c9b

 Williams, Florence. 2016. This is your brain on nature. National Geographic (January 2016) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/01/call-to-wild/

 William, Florence. 2017. The Nature Fix. W.W. Norton & Company. 304 pages. 

Whitney Tilt - April 2017