This feeling of place distinguishes each site and makes a place special and memorable. Environmental literacy begins with an experience of the environment. In my case it began with scouting and led to an intense study of camping and woodcraft over about three years. My students tell me similar stories. Scouting, family camps in the national parks, volunteer work as naturalists all figure in these young peoples' backgrounds and provide the direct experience that leads to their study of ecology and environmental science.
Experience is the trigger for environmental literacy.
It ignites the curiosity and tests the muscles. It teaches us that we live in a world that is not of human making, that does not play by human rules. We call this world nature . To build environmental literacy, it is necessary to go beyond books and the libraries and experience nature directly. Only then do we gradually come to recognize a depth and complexity in nature that continually challenges and surprises us.