Founded in 1999, White Pine Programs is a nature connection nonprofit serving people of all ages with high-quality, year-round programs. We believe in the power of nature-connection. The cycles of the sun & moon, the calls of birds, frogs and wolves, and the changing of seasons are all a part of our natural blueprint. Separating ourselves from nature is an unnatural condition, often with negative effects. Direct immersion in nature is healthy. Nature-connection is healing. Why Nature-Connection? Nature-Deficit Disorder, as defined by author and researcher Richard Louv, is the human cost of alienation from nature, including: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical & emotional illnesses. This disorder can be detected in individuals, families, and communities. Nature-Connection reverses the effects that alienation from nature has had on many modern humans- young & old. We provide direct sensory experiences in nature -catching frogs, sleeping in natural shelters, tracking wild animals, harvesting wild foods, napping in the late-day sun, & silently watching the moonrise. This is nature-connection.