Kids choosing television over trees.

• Position: National parks dont attract kids - Brief article

Per capita visits to U.S. national parks have been declining since 1987, after having risen for the previous 50 years. The drop occurs as the use of electronic media is on the rise--something the ecologically concerned maintain is "evidence of a fundamental shift away from people's appreciation of nature."

"When children choose TVs over trees, they lose touch with the physical world outside and the fundamental connection of those places to our daily lives," laments Steve McCormick, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Va. "A simulated waterfall can never compare with the wonder of Niagara Falls, and an electronic world cannot replicate the awe of standing at the base of half-dome in Yosemite or watching the eruption of Old Faithful. These places aren't just part of the American experience; they're part of the human experience--something no one should miss."

While more than two dozen variables were tested, researchers indicate that video games, home movie rentals, going out to movies, Internet use, and rising fuel prices explain...