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Cuyahoga Valley National ParkAutumn on the Towpath Trail. Photo by Tom Jones.
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Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Be A Junior Ranger
Are you planning a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park? Do you want to have fun while learning about the plants, animals, rocks, and history of the park?
 
New Junior Rangers

NPS COLLECTION/ARRYE ROSSER

New Junior Rangers

Become a Junior Ranger!
A Junior Ranger is a young person between the ages of 7 and 12 who completes the Junior Ranger activities and promises to help care for and learn more about their national park. Park Rangers and Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association (CVNPA) staff present year-round fun and exploration. (Most programs are scheduled during the summer months.) Once children attend three Junior Ranger programs they earn a CVNP Junior Ranger Badge—attending six earns the national Junior Ranger patch. 

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park Junior Ranger Handbook is now available and free to the public and can be otained from CVNP visitor centers or through Eastern National Bookstore. When activities in the handbook are completed, take it to a visitor center where a Park Ranger will look at it, sign the certificate, and present the Junior Ranger Badge.

 
Junior Ranger Junior touching tadpoles

NPS COLLECTION/TED TOTH

Junior Ranger, Jr. touching tadpoles

Become a Junior Ranger, Jr.!
You're never too young to love the outdoors! This series for children ages 4-6 is offered year round. (Most programs are scheduled in the summer months.) Children attending three programs earn a CVNP Junior Ranger badge—attending five earns a patch.

Our new Junior Ranger, Jr. activity cards are designed to help adults with children, ages 3 - 6, enjoy their time outdoors together at CVNP. Junior Ranger, Jr. activity cards are available free at park visitor centers.

 
Fun activities at National Junior Ranger Day

NPS COLLECTION/TED TOTH

Fun activities at National Junior Ranger Day

National Junior Ranger Day
On Saturday, April 25, 2009, National Junior Ranger Day was celebrated at Happy Days Lodge with a day full of free programs and special events, including a swearing-in ceremony for new and experienced Junior Rangers.

Participating children were asked to write what they love most about CVNP. Here is what some of them said:



  • Gavin loves the boardwalk with the friendly snapping turtle.
  • Kaley is happy that there are national parks to save the animals.
  • Jordan admires the effort to create the park and the work put into making it.
  • Emmy likes playing with rocks.
  • Courtney likes the kind people and the beautiful flowers.
  • Dominic likes the salamanders and walking along the trails on a sunny morning!
  • Mazzy appreciates getting close to nature's creatures and that you can do this anytime of the year.
  • Lindsay states that it is one of 391 places in the United States that doesn't allow poaching.
  • Other children like bike riding, hiking, the tunnel, the train, wildlife, the Ledges, the trees, its beauty, the park rangers, programs, and camps.

Find other scheduled Junior Ranger activities in our Schedule of Events.

 
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More Junior Ranger Activities
If you want to learn more about national parks and how you can help protect them, check out these other fun offerings from the National Park Service.

The Junior Ranger Gazette is a publication of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Unilever, a Proud Partner of America's National Parks.

Visit the WebRangers web site, where your adventure begins with a membership card and a chance to create your own on-line ranger station. Once you log-in, you can post stories or photos, scan the best park webcams, and complete activities to earn rewards. When you have completed all the activities, you will earn the WebRangers patch.

Photo of Bald Eagle taken in Cuyahoga Valley National Park where an eagle pair built their first nest in 2006. Photo by Martin Trimmer.  

Did You Know?
November is the time to be on the lookout for bald eagles performing aerial courtship displays. Once eagles have selected each other, they plunge through the air in very high dives, locking their talons and breaking apart just when it looks as though they will crash to the ground.

Last Updated: November 18, 2009 at 12:31 EST