Walking over the trails of East Bay Regional Park, a pair of young boys turn to me and ask, “can we walk up front and join our friends?” “Sure,” I say, “run up there.” “Run?” They ask. “Yes, run.” With smiles ear to ear they take off as fast as they can up the trail. What started as apprehension about mud, rain and who lived in the holes, or what might jump from the trees quickly turns to curiosity. Who lives there? What is that ? Why is that doing that? How many shades of green do you see? Each participant is exploring nature close up with their own new hand lens. Place the lens on something small and obscure like a leaf of butterfly, and instantly, it’s large, in sight, right there for
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