How precisely is the next generation supposed to fall in love with the natural world if a sufficient number of parents are sufficiently sue-happy and risk-averse to make the various organizations that would be in charge of such matchmaking (land trusts, schools, scouts, etc) so gun shy that organizing a survey of dragonflies (kids with butterfly nets, what’s not to like) is so hemmed in by concerns that almost no location works: parking issues, tick issues, long walk issues, hazardous trees, swampy ground that doesn’t work for inappropriate foot gear, etc….
Grrr.
Acair Fearann 
When I’m faced with this problem (as I am, now and then) I try to consider the following: How safe would I feel it would be for Laurel’s class to go on a night-time field trip to the Mission District of San Francisco on, let’s say, a Friday or Saturday night? What would I worry about? (Lots of things!). Would part of my concern arise from the fact that my only knowledge of the Mission District comes through hearsay, not direct experience, and that my comfort with night time inner city exploration is basically non-existent – because I don’t know the environment? Having considered that, I then try to imagine that the nature-fearing parent or individual, may – as a result of their lack of direct experience and the amount of hearsay information they may have heard from various sources – be responding in much the same manner.
Which is by no means an excuse or “apology” for being overly willing to sue (or you might say underly willing to take personal responsibility). But it does suggest that the starting point for discussion probably needs to be pushed way back to the point where it is comfortable for people to discuss their preconceived fears and get some answers to them.
End of lecture! This is a major, major issue for things like “How come it’s so difficult to get people of color to visit a national park?”
Love you! Betsy
Sent from my iPad
I see what Betsy means; In this case perhaps knowing some of the concerns in advance and then addressing them with real information could help the parents become partners in the project. Questions such as what to do about ticks, appropriate foot gear to wear and how the activities will be monitored to care for the children etc.could be answered easily and be reassuring. But one does need to know of or anticipate them.
Seems to me that there really are two different problems here. One is the risk-averse problem — that can be addressed, more or less effectively, by education and gentle exposure, and I think that that is what Betsy is getting at. Takes time. I recall at least one parent who was uncomfortable with children on grass, until she got used to the idea!
The sue-happy problem is far less tractable. So long as anyone can sue an organisation — even on the most far-fetched grounds — organisations (and individuals) are going to be wary of permitting access; it’s just too expensive to carry the insurance necessary to defend the suit. Don’t know what the answer to that one is.