Children answer call of nature

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nigel Sandridge
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Children from the Hurlburt Field Youth Center participated in a tree planting exercise near the Artisan Well on Hurlburt Field, Fla., March 29.

"It's a missing generation," said Catherine Goss, operations clerk of the Hurlburt Child Development Center and nature program advocate for the Air Force. "Kids, nowadays, are so used to staying inside, but this helps them get out and involved."

The children participated in the outdoor environmental exercise to learn the benefits of wild plant life.

"Helping kids understand nature at an early age helps them see the whole system," said Del Mucci, youth center director and head of all out door programs. "Planting trees and greenery is very critical so when we do these kinds of projects it's caring for successive
generations."

Along with learning things such as what trees are capable of, kids were also taught the proper ways to plant a tree, from learning how big holes should be to root-spreading procedures.

"Planting trees is important and I got to help plant them," said Darren D'alessandro, son of Tech. Sgt. April D'alessandro, NCOIC of intelligence at the 10th Combat Weather Squadron and Master Sgt. Dana D'alessandro, intelligence analyst of the 11th Intelligence Squadron. "Trees give us oxygen so we can live."