EDUCATION 547 



America, therefore, needs centers of land for learning commu- 

 nity nature centers or outdoor classrooms where the child, the student, 

 the parent, the senior citizen can frequently and with ease maintain 

 close communion with nature. Such centers need to have three 

 elements: at least 50 acres of land in or near cities where citizen life 

 is confining and almost entirely urban; an interpretive building 

 where people can meet and be oriented; and an educational outdoor 

 program based upon the land, conducted by a staff of trained 

 teacher-naturalists. 



A number of such centers already exist. These are operated in 

 part by government agencies (local, county, State or Federal), 

 others jointly by government and private organizations, still others 

 by private associations entirely. However, for this practical, much- 

 needed outdoor education effort to be effective, there must be a 

 legion of community nature centers. The Federal Government, in 

 close concert with the 50 States and with counties and municipali- 

 ties strongly cooperating, should encourage this program and give it 

 broad moral and financial support. Private organizations should be 

 encouraged to play an active role. If America can have 2,000 nature 

 centers serving a total of 200 million people each year, especially 

 educating children, conservation and natural beauty perception in 

 the individual will be transformed into needed action programs and 

 projects. 



As director of the Nature Centers Division for the National Audu- 

 bon Society, I have been in direct contact with the nature centers 

 movement in America for four years, know its value, its potential, its 

 needs. I urge that the White House Conference on Natural Beauty 

 strongly endorse the community nature centers concept and com- 

 mend it as a program of action for government, industry, private 

 organizations, and the individual citizen. 



LUKE M. SCHRUBEN. While the panel alluded to several types of 

 education endeavors, the different types of education were not spe- 

 cifically articulated. Most attention was given to education de- 

 signed to achieve appreciation and respect on the part of our citi- 

 zens for natural beauty. Many and varied suggestions were made 

 for achieving this. 



I would like also to suggest that the report carry a section dealing 

 with types of education necessary to provide technical knowledge for 



