By Paul Noeldner
Friends of Urban Nature

The Madison Friends of Urban Nature (FUN) is an informal partnership of Madison Parks, Wild Warner, Friends of Cherokee Marsh, Madison Audubon and other Madison area friends and environmental groups. Madison FUN partner groups co-sponsor 100 family and child-friendly bird and nature outings year-round — eight every month — at Warner Park, Cherokee Marsh, Tenney Park and other city parks. See the Northside News Calendar of Events for upcoming outings.

A major goal for Madison FUN partners is connecting communities and children with nature. Awe of nature has been documented to increase empathy for other living things, including people who are different from us, and to increase one’s sense of well-being at the end of the day.

Shared natural areas in parks and neighborhoods are important for these goals. Community sharing for common goals and offering shared natural areas and other community places where everyone is equal and welcome, without having to pay for entry or consuming anything other than the sheer joy of being free and outdoors, is a wonderful ethic that builds a sense of place and a sense of community. In the process, we help the birds and nature that live around us.

We need this kind of shared ethics today more than ever, as society seems to dig deeper into polarizing values that put people at odds. Part of being a mature adult in society — a good sport and a good citizen — is putting shared ethics and fairness to others above our personal differences in values. Like cheering for a home team while also loving a fair game, we can cheer for our personal values and also put our love of ethics above our differences when we have opportunities to support shared resources, like natural areas accessible to all, and when we vote.

Take a walk and enjoy seeing a bird.