Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn: Pathways of Connections | Page 6

Connectng our Past, Present, and Future…
Education: Connecting with Nature
By Bree D. Harvey, Vice President of External Affairs
On a perfect fall afternoon this past October, a group of
nearly fifty children and their parents or other favorite
adults filed out of Story Chapel and set off on a nature hike
through Mount Auburn with artist, naturalist, and educator
(and long-time member of the Friends) Clare Walker Leslie.
Over the course of two hours, the group traveled down
Indian Ridge Path, where they stopped to observe a colony
of mushrooms growing in the grass; walked along Auburn
Lake, where they studied the ducks gliding along the water’s
surface; and visited Consecration Dell to see the habitat
called home by a population of spotted salamander and a
Great Horned Owl. Making several stops along the way,
Clare encouraged the children to record their observations
in the small nature journals each was given at the start of
the program. Some made their observations in pictures,
including the youngest members of the group, while others
made theirs with words, filling entire pages with descriptions
of what they saw. Both children and adults alike left the
Cemetery that afternoon with a deeper appreciation for
nature in general and Mount Auburn more specifically.
This hugely successful nature hike was one stop on Clare’s
book tour to promote her newest book, The Nature Connection
(Storey Publishing). Sensing a growing disconnect between
children and the natural world, Clare, who has previously
programs with hands-on activities focused on history, archi-
tecture, and wildlife. A recently established Education Task
Force will continue to refine what has already begun by
identifying new ways of creating meaningful experiences for
local families.
The idea of using Mount Auburn to connect children with
nature is nothing new. We frequently hear stories from
adults who first observed the spring bird migration at the
Cemetery as young children and who continue to make
annual pilgrimages here forty, fifty, or more years later, now
as seasoned birders. No doubt Mount Auburn’s majestic
trees have inspired some present day arborists and horticul-
turists. It is just as likely that the beauty and mystery of the
landscape itself has inspired budding architects, landscape
architects, and urban planners.
This idea of finding inspiration from the place itself is as
old as the Cemetery. In his address to the crowds gathered
for the Consecration in September of 1831, Mount Auburn’s
first president, Joseph Story, introduced the very idea that
cemeteries would be places of education for the living:
Our Cemeteries…may preach lessons, to which none
may refuse to listen, and which all, that live, must hear.
Truths may be there felt and taught in the silence of our
own meditations, more persuasive, and more enduring,
than ever flowed from human lips.
We continue to uphold this vision from the founders.
Looking at the children who attended our family nature
hike this past fall, as they studied the size and shape of a
Red-tailed Hawk perched overhead, it is easy to see that the
best way to encourage an understanding and appreciation
of nature is to get immersed in it. Bring your favorite little
one to Mount Auburn this spring. Just by bringing them
here and encouraging them to notice the birds in the sky,
the plants on the ground, and everything in between, you
are helping to instill a love of nature in a new generation.
It is the balance of natural and man-made structures that allows
us to interpret not only the natural world, but architectural styles,
history, and art through our educational programs. We can teach
children to be stewards of the environmental world, but we can also
nurture the next generation of preservationists.
authored several books on nature journaling and sketching,
created her newest book as a workbook for children, parents,
and educators. The Nature Connection provides simple activ-
ities to explore the natural world that exists everywhere, be
it on the sidewalks of downtown Boston or in the forests
of Vermont. Nearly all of her suggestions are the perfect
companion to an exploration through Mount Auburn.
The Friends of Mount Auburn continues to find new ways
of encouraging families to explore this wonderful place. In
the past two years, the Friends has created self-guided tours
for younger audiences; scavenger hunts using our collection
of plants, trees, and monuments as clues; and hosted drop-in
4 | Sweet Auburn
Horticulture and Preservation:
Connecting Worlds
By Dennis Collins, Horticultural Curator, and David Gallagher,
Chief of Conservation
Within this lush landscape there exists a dichotomy of
natural and man-made worlds. Our natural landscape and
man-made structures have long been teetering on a delicate
balance of mutual existence. Though this persistent push and
pull originated with Mount Auburn’s beginnings, with each
passing year we must adapt to the new challenges we face.