Executive Chairman, Gogo
Search every verified Oakleigh Thorne interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a December 2020 episode of Nick Forster's "Teach Me One Thing," Oakleigh Thorne, then 91 and a half, discussed his lifelong commitment to nature education. Thorne described founding the Thorne Ecological Institute, later renamed Thorne Nature Experience, which focuses on children's environmental education. He noted the organization operates a nature preschool for children as young as two and summer camps for older age groups, with bird banding activities for those twelve and over. Thorne emphasized the importance of children playing in nature and learning to identify birds by song, recalling that Frank Trevor at Millbrook School taught students to learn bird songs and associate them with the birds. He recommended resources from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and suggested that people can enhance their nature experience by standing still with closed eyes to notice sounds they might otherwise miss.
“I'm 91 and a half.”
“I learned a lot about the physics of water — I loved building dams in the rain and seeing how water would flow.”
“When a child is allowed to go out and play in nature it's very important.”
“Thorne Ecological — we changed the name to Thorne Nature Experience about 10 years ago; we're doing entirely with children's environmental education now.”
Through laid-back, at-home virtual video calls, longtime host of the syndicated radio show and podcast, eTown, and Hot Rize ...
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