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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Rosie(1).jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; " />When I was the age of many students that visit Au Sable, I was introduced to many bits and pieces of nature. At first the unfamiliar was scary, but then I started making connections and recognizing things that were once foreign. I became familiar with the feeling of dirt under my fingernails, grass sticking to my feet, and random buzzing in my ear. These things became comforting to me, and I slowly fell in love with the dynamic beauty of the natural world.&nbsp;</p>
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	A goal of Environmental Education is to introduce students to the complexity of the natural world so they will become familiar and comfortable with their surroundings and, going one step further, develop a love for its beauty. The result is a lasting relationship with nature, which will transform how they see the world and live their lives.</p>
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	<span style="font-size: 12px;">As with any relationship, there is an initial introduction and attraction to certain traits and characteristics. Then, as more time is spent together, the unique characteristics unfold as you become familiar and comfortable with one-another and a bond starts to form. Feelings of love start to resonate as you choose to be open to seeing, experiencing and learning more about what once was unfamiliar. Once your friendship has reached this point, you will forever have a special connection through that love.</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size: 12px;">This is how I fell in love with nature and with Au Sable.&nbsp;</span></p>
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	I was introduced to the complexity of Au Sable, the unfamiliar became familiar became comfortable, and I fell in love. Now Au Sable will forever be a part of me and that love will affect how I love other natural environments.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Robins 250.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 167px; float: left; " />Students that come to Au Sable have varying degrees of familiarity with nature. They have probably heard the &ldquo;chickadee-dee-dee&rdquo; of a black-capped chickadee or seen the rusty belly of a robin (see photo on left), but they may not have known what the bird was or how it is unique from other birds. Our job as teachers is to encourage awareness by opening student&rsquo;s eyes to the complexity of the environment around them. Once they are familiar and comfortable they will start to recognize that there are aspects of nature everywhere they go, which results in a growing love of its beautiful complexity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Trout Lilly 250.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; " />Trout Lilies (see photo on right) are just one example of a detail that makes up Au Sable&rsquo;s complex environment. I had never seen one before and was intrigued by how it pushes straight through the dead ground leaves and how its leaf looked like a splotchy trout. I was then able to spot it wherever I went (it seemed to be everywhere I looked). Then, it surprised me with a new aspect of itself when its yellow flower bloomed, which resulted in me becoming more comfortable with it and even overjoyed to find its blossoms in the forest. Learning the details of this single plant allowed me grow a relationship with my new environment as I began to feel at home in nature and fall in love with the beauty of Au Sable.</p>
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	I pray our students will do the same.</p>
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	(Photo Credits: Kevin McGrath, Robins and Trout Lilly)</p>
