For about four years now, a movement to reconnect children and nature has grown. In 2005 writer Richard Louv published a book called “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.” The book documents what children are missing because they spend too much time indoors and not enough time running around in the woods. But before Louv’s book came out, the manager at West Virginia’s Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge was addressing the problem through a series of cartoons called The Teddy Project.
As the national wildlife refuge system approached its 100 anniversary in 2003, Jonathan Schafler (pictured above) came up with an idea to encourage children to visit these wild places. Schafler created The Teddy Project with a $25 thousand grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and cooperation from art institutes across the country. Each cartoon film features former president Teddy Roosevelt:
“If a big red dog can teach our kids about values, if an aardvark cartoon can teach our kids social values, why can’t a cartoon Teddy Roosevelt teach our kids about wildlife and wild places? He’s an instantly recognizable figure in Americana. His face is on Mt. Rushmore, he started the national wildlife refuge system, he created many national parks.”
The Art Institutes International Minnesota created the first cartoon, called Teddy One, which is introduced by Schafler.
“What you’re going to see is an animated Teddy Roosevelt who jumps in and out of live action scenes across the national wildlife refuge system. About 5,000 hours went into this particular piece and it shows a wide variety of refuges and a great animated Teddy Roosevelt.”
“Amazing, Teddy Roosevelt here. National wildlife refuges are, are magical places where wildlife comes first. Who would have thought that when I created the first refuge here at Pelican Island in Florida that this system of lands would grow to over 530 units throughout this country protecting some 90 million acres.”
Schafler says so far 44 art schools have created 37 films that give an inside look at some of the country’s refuges.
“Every refuge is visited by Teddy Roosevelt and his side kick Puddles the Blue Goose, the symbol of the national wildlife refuge system. And when they arrive at a national wildlife refuge they meet a signature character. There could be Eddie the Owl, Andy the Eagle, Ozzy the Otter. And that character is their host through their visit on that national wildlife refuge. And they do rescues, they talk about endangered species, invasive plant species, issues that are important to national wildlife refuges and of interest to young people to get them out of the house.”
"And I guess that’s a benefit to these art students, isn’t it?"
“Absolutely, it really does teach folks an environmental ethic on both ends of the scale. The college kids who are tomorrow’s conservation voters are learning about an environmental ethic by making the cartoons. And the finished product then is used by young people with a medium that they like best which is cartoons. So it really is teaching an environment ethic at both ends of the youth scale.”
The student artists introduce the cartoons they helped create.
“Hi my name is Erin Lynn. I am a student at the Miami International University of Art and Design. Our partner is the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. I was the project manager of our short and it’s about Teddy and Puddles as they take a tour through the refuge visiting the local wildlife. Please enjoy.”
“I can’t wait to take pictures.”
“Take a picture of the flamingo.”
“That’s not a flamingo. That’s a roseate. You can tell by the long bill shaped like a spoon.”
“Now I see.”
“Where the river meets the ocean the whole ocean begins.”
These cartoons can be seen at wildlife refuge visitor centers, local movie theaters and on the Web site for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.