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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2020)
Wednesday, June 10, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 31 Survival show competitor raises his son in Sisters Country By T. Lee Brown Correspondent Survival skills educator and television show contes- tant Joel van der Loon moved to Sisters Country with his family a couple years back. Access to the outdoors com- bined with a sense of commu- nity drew them here to raise their son, Talon, now three years old. Though Sisters School District offers little outdoor or nature-based education for younger children, the van der Loons found area schools <very attractive, especially with their outdoor programs,= such as the high school9s Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition course. The formative years of childhood are ideal for con- necting with nature and learn- ing survival skills. Van der Loon wants that for his son. His own youth in Africa was full of such adventures. His father was a fishing boat captain in Tanzania, in East Africa. He bought a <patch of wild land= with the village chief9s blessing, then employed indigenous Masai people, traditional nomadic herders, to <keep an eye out for wildlife and illegal trap- pers on the property,= said van der Loon. <We had lions, hyenas, dangerous snakes, baboons.= They built a house and dug a well, then mostly used solar and wind power. Van der Loon, who lived part- time in South Africa with his mother, moved to his father9s land full-time when he turned 18. <It was unbelievable,= he said. <Rural African coast, remote bush, lions, hyena, all the different wildlife.= He rel- ished catching snakes, hunt- ing wild boar, growing fruit trees, and raising chickens. <It was kind of like a homestead,= he explained. <We learned how to be resourceful. Something9s bro- ken out there, you learn to fix it. There9s no Home Depot.= The Masai <were very, very in tune with the natural world,= said van der Loon. <To have them overseeing it made sense. As a kid I was fascinated with the Masai. They would take me hunting, tracking with them, tell me stories about their culture. It really influenced my passion in the primitive skills, native skills. I was lucky, very lucky.= Note: the complexity of African colonial and racial history is beyond the scope of this article. A recent solo survival adventure brought van der Loon to the Arctic for many days, as a participant in the History Channel TV show <Alone= (see related story, page 3). He said of his time there, <I had such a big real- ization into how we should be living as human beings. I feel we have strayed very, very far from how we want to be sub- consciously. I had a personal revelation. More simplicity, less distraction, maintaining a connection with the plants and animals, being a good steward for them, is really important for me to do.= He felt stimulated by liv- ing off the land, providing for himself, and <having the time to really get introspectively deep, not having any distrac- tion to pull me out of it.= Similar trips he9s taken in the past only involved 2310 days of solo time. <It takes a couple weeks to break through to that different state of consciousness,= van der Loon said. <My senses were heightened.= He felt strongly that mod- ern life is filled with too much distraction. <I don9t believe our human brains are built for that,= he said. Researchers would agree. Studies in recent years have found that pervasive tech- nology and distraction are having harmful effects on brain development, physical health, and mental wellbeing 4 especially those of young people. Three-year-old Talon <walks barefoot, shoots a bow-and-arrow, hunts, eats food at times with dirty soil hands so he gets microbes into him.= Van der Loon explained, <He9s a happy child, extremely engaged in the outdoors. I9m trying to influence him but not pres- sure him. I feel like so many kids [at that age] gravitate towards running around, dig- ging in the dirt.= Unfortunately, they9re often corralled indoors by well-intentioned parents and teachers. Some are worried about lawsuits. Others focus on germs. However, current research shows that children exposed to more microbes 4 such as those found in soil and on farms and even in daycare socializing 4 grow up healthier, with fewer seri- ous autoimmune disorders and everyday allergies. Some parents and educa- tors avoid nature education because they themselves lack experience. They might not have outdoor skills or feel comfortable around insects. Talon van der Loon won9t have to worry about that. <Talon can identify rabbit tracks, deer tracks, elk tracks, a handful of different medici- nal plants in the area,= his father said proudly. <I9m trying to keep old skills alive because I feel like that9s what strengthens our connection to our natural world,= he said. Van der Loon believes this connection affects how humans treat our environment. <A person that can step out into nature and feel at home, as opposed to feeling home within concrete walls, will definitely feel inclined to pro- tect it 4 protect the wildlife, protect the natural resources,= said van der Loon. Research supports this stewardship idea. Spending time in nature as a child has been linked to higher envi- ronmental awareness and activism as an adult. Research also shows consistently that time spent in nature and the outdoors improves outcomes for all age groups. It is especially impor- tant for children and teens, who are currently battling an epidemic of increased anxi- ety, depression, and suicide. <Hiking, gazing to the out- doors, making a deeper level of connection& understand- ing tracking, bird language, the plants, what they offer us PHOTO PROVIDED Three-year-old Talon van der Loon learns archery and gets his recommended daily allowance of muddy microbes in Sisters Country. for food and medicine,= van der Loon said. <How to make fire by picking up sticks and rubbing them together& These things inspire connec- tion with our ancestors, with the earth.= Such a strong connection goes beyond merely surviv- ing. Alone in the Arctic, said van der Loon, <I felt more alive than I have ever felt.= RESIDENTIAL FARM & RANCH PATTY CORDONI 541.771.0931 patty.cordoni@cascadesir.com Principal Broker Residential Sales, Farm and Ranch Division CascadeSothebysRealty.com | Each offi ce independently owned and operated. GLAZE MEADOW 417 • $1,500,000 • mls 220101513 Ultimate entertainer’s home with custom kitchen and mountain views. SUDOKU SOLUTION for puzzle on page 28 GLAZE MEADOW 412 • $750,000 • mls 220101523 Large private corner lot with fi ltered views of Black Butte. Exclusive Onsite Realtor for the Ranch Don Bowler, President and Broker 971-244-3012 Gary Yoder, Managing Principal Broker 541-420-6708 Ross Kennedy, Principal Broker 541-408-1343 Carol Dye, Broker 541-480-0923 | Joe Dye, Broker 541-595-2604 Corrie Lake, Broker 541-521-2392 PHOTO PROVIDED Joel van der Loon learned survival skills from indigenous peoples in Africa during his youth. He continued as an adult, learning from Masai, Hadzabe, and Rama tribespeople. Comments? Email editor@nuggetnews.com Open daily, 9 to 5, by the Lodge Pool Complex 541-595-3838 Black Butte Ranch 541-549-5555 in Sisters, 414 W. Washington Ave. see all our listings at blackbutterealtygroup.com