Do you think watching nature programs on TV is adequate substitute for having live experiences in our Parks?

Question

My fully-worded Q, which would not fit the restrictive Q-box, is this:

Does anyone think that watching nature programs on TV is an adequate substitute for having hands-on, live experiences in our National Parks WITH A GUIDE?

Answer 1

Absolutely not because you can see everything, but you can't smell or feel anything and thats the best part.  For me, at least, having the feeling of nature is important to a natural experience

Answer 2

It's a better way to experience bears and cougers than in the wild but that's about the only advantage.

Answer 3

I think watching nature shows can deepen your intellectual understanding of what you see, feel, and experience first hand when you visit the park with a guide so that you can appreciate the experience even more.  It's no substitute, but it's certainly a nice enhacement.

Answer 4

ABSOLUTELY . . . not.  Nothing can replace having live experiences in our National Parks.  Or having live experiences doing anything else.

All the Best.

Answer 5

No, just as experts say watching violence on tv is not the same as experiencing it fisrt hand, watching nature is not the same as experiencing it in person. You can't really understand the power of a waterfall untill you are standing at the base and hear the thunder of the water and feel the wind pushing against you. You can't understand the vastness of the dessert untill you are standing on a sand dune and there isn't a sign of civilization as far as your eyes can see. To sit quietly in a meadow and hear all the sounds of the animals that you can't see and think about how they have adapted to their surroundings for survival, is amazing. Diving of the coast of Monterey, CA and having sea lions doing acrobatics just a few feet away from you or diving in Cozumel and seeing an 8 foot long nurse shark at a cleaning station with little fish cleaning it is beyond exciting. Knowing that you are in their world and they are the ones with the advantage is a humbling experience.

Answer 6

no, and wiothout a guide is even better

Answer 7

No...watching it on tv does it no justice. However...better to watch nature programes than that other garbage. One could also argue that watching a nature programe before a visit to a park will most likely prepare that person for what they see..this berry's edible, that water fall is called__ ,that animal could eat you, if it tries to eat you do this.... It could serve as a sort of pre guied...eliminating the want for a pestering guied once you arrive. So nature in all it's forms are good...even on tv.

Answer 8

DEFINATELY NOT!! seeing nature in person really shows you how big the world is and how small you are.

Answer 9

No, its not an adequate substitute. Watching a show on TV doesnt allow you to hike a trail and see some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Watching TV doesnt allow you to smell the flowers, the grass and the trees. You can't enjoy a sunset view over yellowstone by watching TV.

You can't enjoy a sunrise with your loved ones over the Arizona deserts on TV.

TV needs to be an informational tool, not a substitute for real life.