CLEMSON — Maybe it was video games, child molesters or our whirlwind modern existence. Somewhere along the way, kids grew apart from the outdoors.

This doesn’t mean a drop in organized sports participation. We’re talking riding bikes, fishing, playing make-believe and other quintessential childhood endeavors. Over the last 30 years, nature has been dethroned by digital diversions — Internet, iPods, Nintendo, cable TV, etc.

Jorge Calzadilla wants to help change all of that. As executive director of Clemson University’s Youth Learning Institute, Calzadilla has been selected to serve with The National Forum on Children and Nature. The forum is a Conservation Fund initiative designed to reconnect American youth with the outdoors. In addition to educators, program participants include top executives from DuPont and The North Face, as well as the presidents of the Turner Foundation and National Audubon Society. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford co-chairs the forum along with the governors of Montana, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

“Today our young people are living through and feeding their eyes with computers,” Calzadilla said. “When I grew up, you lost weight during the summer. A recent study of five- and six-year-olds showed that children in the U.S. now gain up to three times as much weight during summer vacation as they do while in school.”

Other statistics reveal the effects of decreased youth involvement with nature:

• The percentage of obese children has tripled to nearly 15 percent since the 1960s.

• The number of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increased by 33 percent from 1997 to 2002.

• Between 1981 and 1997, the amount of time American children ages six to eight spent playing decreased 25 percent.

Suburban sprawl and the resulting dependence on automobiles have resulted in significantly less walking and bicycling. Children are among the most vulnerable to that scenario.

“They’re the ones with the least control over their environment,” Calzadilla said. “You can decide where you want to live and where you want to go. You have a car and finances. Young people are responsible to their family.”

As a result, the in-between moments of outdoor joy are disappearing. In 1973, 60 percent of children walked to school, now only 13 percent do. Between 2000 and 2004, sales of children’s bicycles fell by 21 percent.

Nature-based outings are falling off family itineraries as well. Since 1987, visits to national parks have dropped 25 percent. Between 2000 and 2005, fishing outings decreased by 21 percent and backpacking excursions declined by 25 percent. During the same period all outdoor activities fell off 30 percent.

Forum materials blame the separation of child and nature on a diverse set of situations. Perhaps the most influential is heightened parental paranoia stoked by media coverage of abductions and other crimes unto children.

“Sometimes a lack of knowledge creates perceived danger,” Calzadilla said. “I’m not saying there aren’t risks out there, but I think sometimes the fact that we don’t participate creates some fear.”

Other factors that may truncate outdoor time among youths include:

• Highly scheduled households overseen by overworked parents.

• The de-emphasis of nature in public education and a growing generalized fear of the outdoors.

• Organized activities and electronic entertainment options have consumed most of children’s free time.

“Kids are spending their Saturdays inside and they’re seeing less and less of nature,” Calzadilla said. “How we as humans connect with nature needs to be researched further. Watching a nature video — what degree is that? What degree is needed?”

After the forum’s initial meeting in Washington, D.C. last week, its members divided into advisory panels, focused on education, built environment, media/culture and health. Calzadilla is assisting with the latter division.

“This is going to be an 18-month process,” Calzadilla said. “The first thing we did was set criteria. What are the dynamics of the situation? I think for South Carolina, this is a fishing, canoeing, kayaking and active type of state. A lot of what we’re doing is identifying best practices. But we’re looking at this as a national thing before bringing it back to the states.”

Over the next year-and-a-half, advisory panels will assimilate the 20 most effective and innovative programs for the forum’s purpose. These top projects will be announced via a national press event in fall 2008.