Oklahoma kids view nature through photographic lens

The Boys & Girls Club recently partnered with The Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus program to put digital cameras into the hands of 24 Oklahoma kids, ages 10 to 14, to inspire them to appreciate nature while learning about it through a lens.

“There's been a lot of talk over the last few years about how kids are becoming more disconnected from nature,” said Bret Muter, program manager for the Parks in Focus program, supported by the Udall Foundation.

For the last couple of weeks, the Boys & Girls Club kids got to explore nature with point-and-shoot cameras provided by the program. The kids shot photos of streams and bugs, birds and trees, flowers, the sky and all kinds of wildlife at some of the state's most visually interesting spots. The group visited sites such as the Myriad Gardens, Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge, Great Plains State Park and Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, where they had a campout.

Photography is an ideal way to introduce young inner-city kids to nature because they can, in a manner of speaking, hide behind the camera until they are more comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, Muter said.