The Deschutes National Forest wants to teach appreciation for the outdoors starting with the youngest in our community.
The forest is partnering with Discover Your Forest and Mt. Bachelor for a Junior Snow Ranger event.
Families with kids age 7 to 11 can learn how to safely explore in the winter, how to identify animal tracks and the journey of snow.
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The events will happen happen Feb. 19 and March 26 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Interested families can join forest rangers at the Snowshoe Hut located at Mt. Bachelor’s West Village base area.
Here is more from the National Forest Service.
The Junior Snow Ranger event is designed for children in fourth and fifth grade; however, activities are appropriate for kids ages seven to 11. Outdoor activities include how to safely explore in the winter, wildlife track identification, learning about the subnivean layer, and snow’s incredible journey. If conditions allow, families may also get to explore fresh snowflakes, complete a forest scavenger hunt, and engage in fun, hands-on learning outside.
The program’s mission is to inspire youth to embrace a life-long relationship with the winter environment and to become stewards of the land. It is a family program and adults are encouraged to play alongside their kids. Families can drop in or stay for the duration of the program. If families wish to try snowshoeing after the event snowshoe rangers will offer a free snowshoe tour at 1:00 p.m. for participants 8 years and older. The public snowshoe tour is about one and a half miles out & back, lasts about 90 minutes, and includes information about natural history topics that relate to the surrounding high Cascades.
The event is free; however, donations are greatly appreciated to support Discover Your Forest’s free education and interpretation programs throughout the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests.
