Grounds for hope

I'm generally pessimistic about the state of our natural environment and, more specifically, about the prospects for future generations to enjoy, appreciate, or even care about it. Articles, like this one from last week's Times, certainly suggest that children are becoming more divorced than ever from the natural world. Occasionally, though, I see or read something that gives me hope. This article, from today's Post, is one of them. I find it heartening that so many kids are interested in restocking a declining species like shad, and I think it's great that they're taking the issue to younger kids as well. I know their actions won't save the world, but the fact that even one kid is dreaming about a river turned silver by fish is a wonderful thing.