Conservancy Day: The Nature Cure: An Antidote To Our Stressful Lives

Many of us have known intuitively for a long time that a walk in the woods or the prairie, a visit to a park, some time paddling on water or walking along a stream or even time spent in a backyard with grass, flowers and trees can have a calming and refreshing effect on us. This intuitive sense has a long and worldwide history. Cyrus the Great built gardens for relaxation 2,500 years ago in the busy capital of Persia. Paracelsus, the 16th-century German-Swiss physician, gave voice to this intuition when he claimed, “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.” William Wordsworth marveled at how “an eye made quiet by the power / Of harmony” and countless others have followed such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Muir. Our intuition about the healing power of nature has now been reinforced by empirical science and how exposure to nature has a curative effect on our brains and bodies. Come and explore this fascinating relationship between ourselves, nature and our health.

Dr. Gary Sater is a retired clinical and sport psychologist living in Middleton. He recently completed the Master Naturalist course and is a member of the Restoration and Management Committee with the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. He also provides some of the nature photography used by FOPBC for their website and promotional activities.

Directions: Enter the school driveway at the main entrance on Donna Drive.Then drive past the entire front of the building and park in the eastern most parking lot. Enter the building at Door 3 in the east wing of the building.

RSVPs are appreciated to conservancyday@pheasantbranch.org.

Every Conservancy Day is:

• Free — thanks to your donations and membership as a Friend
• Open to the public
• For all ages unless a specific age group is given in the program description
• Diverse — More than 400 participants each year enjoy topics ranging from wildlife, science, resource management, natural and cultural history and current community issues.

Thank you for your generous gifts and participation. You make it possible and you make it great! We welcome you to join us and help spread the word! Mark your calendars for these inspiring and special events the third Thursday of each month, from January through November.