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NORFOLK -- It's frigid outside, one of the relatively few days this winter that have resulted in rosy cheeks and runny noses for a group of pre-kindergartners who are, being kids, oblivious to the weather's unpleasant effects.

Out on the grounds of Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, they're focused on the hunt for animal tracks in a few scattered snow patches.

As Isiah Tetrault, 5, of Franklin, rounds a corner, he spies something on the edge of some brush. "A bunny was here!" he exclaims, easily recognizing the animal's distinctive set of different-sized prints.

The fact that Isiah can so quickly identify the tracks is no surprise to John Smith, who is leading five preschoolers on their Tales From the Wild class.

"This group of kids is hardcore," Smith said. "They're pretty smart, and they're very comfortable in the woods." That makes Smith reminisce about his own time spent outdoors as a child, when it was common, and safe, to go exploring all day.

To a large extent, those days are long gone as kids spend less time outdoors than ever before. Indeed, some have dubbed the "nature deprivation" trend as a crisis.

Among the statistics illustrating the trend:

Between 1987 and 2003, visits to U.S. national parks fell by 25 percent, according to the National Park Service.

Between 2000 and 2004, sales of children's bicycles declined 21 percent (Bicycle Industry and Retailer News)

Between 1969 and 2001, the number of children, age 5 to 18 and living less than one mile from their school, who walked or rode their bike to school daily dropped 28 percent. (Centers for Disease Control)

Kids spend about 7.5 more hours per week on academics than they did in 1984. (2004 University of Michigan study)

Add in televisions in every household room, including children's bedrooms, the Internet, DVDs and video games, as well as fears about children's safety if unsupervised outside, and it's easy to understand how children have become nature deprived

"When I was growing up, there was no cable. We did other things," Smith said. "Now, if my kids disappeared for nine hours, I'd be worried."

Author and journalist Richard Louv, whose latest book, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder," has helped to raise the profile of The Children & Nature Network, a group that seeks to reconnect children with nature. Louv is chairman of the group, which is promoting a national "Leave No Child Inside" movement.

Last Thanksgiving, USA Today ran a front-page story highlighting organizations across the country that launched back to nature programs targeted at large numbers of children.

Louv reported last September in The San Diego Union-Tribune that U.S. secretary of the interior Dirk Kempthorne wants to "light a fire of passion" inside the country's children about getting back outside, speaking at the National Dialogue on Children and Nature in West Virginia.

In this area, Smith is leading a smaller fight back outside. He believes it is essential to get children involved and passionate about nature at a young age.

Stony Brook has year-round programs for children of all ages, and adults, including during school vacations, as does Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary in Attleboro. Both are run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

"It's important to reach them now," he said. "I'm here with these kids and parents who want to be outside, and I get a lot of satisfaction from this, that these kids are turned on to nature at this age."

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.