A Cure for What Ails You:  Engage with Nature and Creativity During the Third Annual Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Outdoor Fest

Braelyn Dixon, 4.5 years old, takes photographs of native plant flowers at Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge for consideration in the children’s division of the second annual Outdoor Fest photography contest. The Fest—a week of action-packed days filled with family-friendly, mostly free outdoor adventures and hands-on activities— is set for Saturday, March 11th through Saturday, March 18th. Photo by Jeremy Dixon.

For most, nature’s capacity to instill awe and calm goes without saying. Sea turtles nesting, dolphins frolicking, birds wading and migrating— wildlife encounters like these can leave us inspired and renewed.  But a growing body of research is beginning to show that contact with nature has many proven physical, mental, and emotional benefits too, with “Nature Therapy” sometimes even prescribed as a supplemental Rx treatment and approach to well-being.

Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Ranger Kristie Killam captures a “Quiet Morning” with this image of the Long Beach portion of National Key Deer Refuge. Killam is part of the team that will be on hand to help participants enjoy the upcoming Outdoor Fest. Photo by Kristie Killam.

Here in the Keys, with over 400,000 acres of land and shallow waters that make up the subtropical Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges, there are many opportunities to tap into nature’s therapeutic bounty. Saturday, March 10 through Saturday, March 17, the Refuge Complex and their Friends group Florida Keys Wildlife Society hosts the third annual Outdoor Fest with a full week of family-friendly, mostly free outdoor adventures and hands-on activities—events that will not only boost your mood, but enhance your connection to your creativity while you explore that natural world around you.

From east to west, Crocodile Lake NWR, National Key Deer Refuge, Great White Heron NWR and Key West NWR are home to some of the world’s most endangered habitats, plants, and wildlife species, the perfect place to engage in a little “Nature Therapy.” Kayaking the shallow waters and calm seas is one of many ways to enjoy them. Photo by Mary Lou Dickson.

“Our lives are so busy and hectic now-a-days,” says refuge Deputy Project Leader Christine Ogura.  “Nature transports me to another place that slows me down and gives me time to take a breath, reflect and appreciate. Art-making does the same thing. One inspires the other.”

Ogura will lead a “Wildlife Origami” workshop during the Outdoor Fest on Friday, March 16 from 10:00am-11:30am at the National Key Deer Refuge visitor center.  The workshop is one of several “Nature Therapy” type of workshops for children and adults offered that week, in addition to several other events, activities, lectures, and field trips.  Others include: Intro to Nature Sketching on Thursday, March 15 from 9:30am-11:30am, a Sunrise Photo Shoot and Morning bird/Nature Photography workshop on Friday, March 16 from 6:30am-8:30am, and a Refuge Photography Contest exhibit and open house reception at the New National Key Deer Refuge Visitor Center on Overseas Highway, Wednesday, March 14 from 5:30pm–7:30pm. All are free and open to everyone regardless of artistic abilities, though advanced registration is required to the workshops.

Science is proving that nature has a physiological affect on the human brain, making us healthier, happier, and smarter. Here, Loretta Gallant sketches along the Southeastern edge of National Key Deer Refuge. “Nature has always been my therapy,” says Gallant. “Even as a child it “felt right” to be in that silence and stillness.”  Gallant will help lead an Intro to Nature Sketchbook Journaling workshop, part of the upcoming Outdoor Fes.  Photo contributed.

“No experience is needed,” says Loretta Gallant, who will lead the Intro to Nature Sketching workshop.  “Just a desire to discover the joy of expressing yourself through art in nature.”

Gallant looks forward to sharing what she says is “a new way to deepen the connection to the natural world” with others.  Her offering is a perfect example of how to tap into Nature Therapy, which is based on the idea that people are connected to and impacted by the natural environment. Add to that the benefits of engaging in one’s creativity and you have an Rx for happiness, sure to help cure what ails you.

“It slows you down, allowing you to be in the moment,” says Gallant. “In a chaotic world, nature brings order and purpose, reminding you of what is real and important. You remember who you are.”

For more information about the refuges and the list of Outdoor Fest events, visit FloridaKeysWildlifeSociety.org or contact Kristie Killam at 305.304.9625 or email Nancy or Jan at [email protected]. B rought to you in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.  Brought to you in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

 

 

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