The term naturalist may recall names like Florence Merriam Bailey, David Attenborough, Rachel Carson, or Edward O. Wilson. Naturalists study natural history, an activity older than science. Natural history differs from biology and geology,  because it is more interdisciplinary and concerned with relationships between organisms and their environments. The typical naturalist will spend more time in nature than in the lab.

In 2016, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reported 101.6 million Americans over the age of 16 participated in wildlife-related activities. This included hunting, fishing, and watching wildlife. That is 40% of the US population 16 years old or older is involved in nature related activities. An amazingly large number. Nature activities contributed $156 billion to the economy in 2016, the most spent in the past 25 years when adjusted for inflation. Of course, this includes hunting and fishing, but is exclusive of gardening.

The number of people reporting observations of wildlife around their home was 81.1 million, of those, 59.1 (69%) million provided food for wildlife, the most popular activity. More than 43.8 (51%) million people observed wildlife, and 30.5 (35%) million photographed wildlife around their home. Nearly 11.4 million (13%) visited parks or natural areas to view wildlife and 11 (13%) million used natural plantings or natural areas to benefit wildlife within a mile of their home. Twenty-five percent of all wildlife watchers took trips of a mile or more from home to observe, photograph, or feed wildlife. Of these, 19.6 million participants watched wildlife, and 13.7 million people photographed wildlife.

People exposed to nature enjoy nature and come to appreciate nature. For most of human history, we were hunters and gathers, living as part of the biosphere. No longer are most of us hunters and gathers, but we are still dependent on the environment. We all need clean air and water, we all need food, and we all need shelter. Technology seems to have removed many of us from the conscious reality of our dependence on the biosphere for survival. An appreciation and knowledge of nature are now more critical than ever. The planet faces dramatic shifts in temperature and precipitation regimes, and a mass extinction event is in progress.