We must work to protect outdoor treasures in suburban areas
It never fails to amaze me how quickly our natural resources, things and places once considered sacred, disappear. In our society, short term gains always trump long term well-being. It also baffles me how ambivalent most people are to this process. Our current presidential administration is a reflection of this.
Locally, I am referring to the last 62 acres, bound by Summit to the west, Plum Grove to the east and Wise Road to the south, of eastern woodland in Schaumburg auctioned off recently by school district 211 for new home development to M/I Homes of Chicago LLC. This is the last undisturbed area of woodland in our overpopulated region. Many yards back up into the beautiful thickets of native woods. A nice little stream flows through the center of it. This would be a perfect spot to wander aimlessly for any adolescent child on a summer afternoon. Sadly, I'm not sure how many people can recall such "leisurely" activities.
I am a family physician by profession and a father of three living in the area for the past six years. We had the good fortune of finding a house near Sarah's Grove in the older part of Schaumburg. This small area of woods and wetland has been priceless in raising my children. We have watched countless sunsets over the small meadow, watched hawks fly, listened to hooting owls. We watch the bats dart around at dusk in the late summer sky. We have imagined how Native Americans hunted the grove centuries ago. It has taught my children to respect and understand nature. Rarely does a day go by when we don't visit the woods. I cannot envision raising children without natural beauty nearby.
Since moving here, I have met retired neighbors whose children were able to wander the woodland developed into our neighborhood. I can only imagine this area's natural beauty thirty-forty years ago. Having been born and raised in Illinois, I have grown to love all of its seasons and natural beauty. I also know the value of early experiences of dirtying hands and feet during unstructured play in the boundless quiet of natural eternity.
As a family physician, I know how essential routine exposure to nature is to health and wellbeing. Nature walking and running protects against the epidemic of metabolic disorders which plague our "modern" society. There is a timeless healing psychological benefit of nature, which can improve focus and concentration and calm our minds in the over stressed society and mind numbing endless information era we live in.
As more people move to our community from their overcrowded countries, I wonder what their children think growing up here. Will they yearn for a more peaceful environment and strive to preserve the natural beauty of our state? Will they be interested in the ways and philosophies of the aboriginal people which lived in this area for thousands of years before the "settling" of this area by the white man a few hundred years ago? Sadly, they may not notice anything missing and may not have that natural curiosity taken for granted by previous generations which "developed" this area.
The exposure of children to nature during early childhood development has a profound effect of their interpersonal relationships and their ability to learn and concentrate. Additionally, early childhood exposure to nature and natural phenomena has a strong effect on children's self-esteem. Nature has a way of stimulating creativity and innovation. Exposure to nature should be valued as essential as opposed to leisurely activity. It is for this reason, all communities in the Chicagoland suburbs should strive to preserve any native habitat left.
Future generations will judge us for what we leave behind. If we preserve open spaces we may prevent more people from leaving our beautiful state in search of greener pastures. . The early planners of Schaumburg had the wisdom to set this land aside for the youth of tomorrow. In my opinion the decision to auction it for housing development does not hold the better interest of Schaumburg's citizens at heart
Future generations will judge us for what we leave behind. If we preserve open spaces we may prevent more people from leaving our beautiful state in search of greener pastures. The early planners of Schaumburg had the wisdom to set this land aside for the youth of tomorrow. In my opinion the decision to auction it for housing development does not hold the better interest of Schaumburg's citizens at heart.
Dr. Nicholas Skyba II, D.O., is a family physician and heads the Chicago chapter of Association of American Youth of Ukrainian Descent. Contact him at the Andrews Lane section of www.nextdoor.com or find his petition at www.thepetitionsite.com