This commentary is by Will Marlier of Greensboro, state director of Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy.
Vermont is well known for its beautiful rural lands and history of rich tradition. Where the two intersect, at the focal point of outdoorsmanship and recreation, is a special point of pride for Vermonters across the state. However, it is also increasingly becoming a point of contention.
With the unique identity Vermont has cultivated for itself, it should come as no surprise that it is ranked as both the most rural state and the third-oldest state by population (according to World Population Review). Our population is aging, and the oldest amongst us are worried that they are taking their traditions with them. I have heard complaints that the young people of today are not up to the task of carrying this legacy into the future.
Born in 1999, I escaped being a “2000s baby” by the barest of margins. I grew up in a world dominated by the internet, a world where someone without a smartphone is considered an oddity, a world where dark rooms are more often illuminated by the glow of an electronic screen than the glow of a candle.
I also grew up hearing about “kids these days”, about their violent video games, short attention spans and lack of interest in the outdoors. Even today, I hear this rhetoric too often. The idea that recent technology defines younger generations while rustic outdoorsmanship defines the older ones only serves to drive a wedge between us. The last thing anyone needs is another way to divide us.
Yes, I grew up in the 2000’s. I also grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I grew up breathing its clean air, sustaining myself with produce grown from its soil and sheltering myself beneath the boughs of its trees. Although the internet was at my fingertips, my days were not wasted on digital gore and televised violence. Instead, they were spent splashing through streams in search of crayfish and frogs, or squatting in the snow and mud to better inspect a passing animal’s tracks.
I take comfort in knowing that I was not the first to do so, and I will not be the last. Vermonters have been enjoying nature in these simple ways since long before “Vermont” was known by that name. Natural spaces transcend generational ownership. All Vermonters, regardless of age, have a connection to the trees, mountains and animals that make our state home. This connection is something worth celebrating; it binds us not only to the land but to each other.
Like with any connection worth celebrating, differences within that shared experience should also be valued. Each individual’s relationship with the natural world is unique and beautiful. Each generation, too, interacts with the outdoors differently than the last. So, while I do not believe Vermont’s outdoor traditions will disappear, I do believe they will inevitably change.
I see a departure from a primarily consumptive relationship with nature and an emerging focus on reciprocity. Younger generations are spending more time observing nature, and less time taking from it. According to national research, hiking, camping, climbing, kayaking, birding and cross-country skiing are all more popular than ever. According to Vermont data, activities like trapping are slowly falling by the wayside.
If you find yourself chafing at the thought that your grandchildren might not spend their weekends siccing hounds on local wildlife, or collecting injured animals from traps they set, I would ask you to consider why a world with less cruelty is so disturbing to you. I would venture to guess that you’re not concerned with the disappearance of broken bones or gnashing teeth, instead you fear a world where children no longer find joy in exploring their own backyard.
I would challenge all Vermonters, regardless of age, to bond over our love of the outdoors. A walk in the woods is worth so much more without the worry of what divides us. So take the hand of your grandchild or grandparent, unburden yourself of the violence of video games and fading traditions, and walk that common ground together.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Will Marlier: Wild ground is common ground.