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Missouri Virtual Ranger Online Activities

Missouri River water is a blue tint with hills in the background that are a darkish green
Missouri Virtual Junior Ranger Online Activities Guide Cover

NPS Photo

Junior Rangers are special people who are dedicated to our National Parks. Their mission is to explore, learn, and protect, and to have fun while doing it!

While you can earn your Junior Ranger badge on your visit to the Missouri National Recreational River, we have also put together an opportunity for you to become an Missouri National Recreational River Virtual Junior Ranger.

Complete at least 6 of the 14 activities listed below to earn your Virtual Ranger badge! When you finish, download and print your badge to add to your collection!

If you are interested in receiving a hard-copy or electronic PDF version of our on-site Junior Ranger booklet, please email your request to Ranger Dugan Smith. For off-site visitors, please return or mail to Park Headquarters to receive a badge and become an official Missouri National Recreational River Junior Ranger.
Mail your completed program to:
Missouri National Recreational River
c/o Division of Interpretation
508 East 2nd Street
Yankton, SD 57078


Lone Dog's winter count from 1800-1871. The winter count is illustrated using various symbols in a clockwise pattern. Symbols commonly used in the image on the right.
Lone Dog winter count from 1800-1871. Types of symbols used in winter counts.

Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Images

Bison Hide Activity

The American Bison was of the utmost importance to the Plains Indians. They used the bison for many different things ranging from food, to tools, clothing, and shelter. They utilized the meat and muscles, the bones, the horns, the stomach, the tongue, the hair and the hide of the bison. They also used the hides to record their history in what is called a winter count.

A winter count recorded each of the years in a generation. Symbols and figures were selected to represent a significant event or trigger a memory. A count keeper was selected to tell the story behind each symbol and to pass the oral history onto the next generations.

This example comes from Lone Dog who was the keeper of the count for his tribe from 1800-1871. The year is recorded in a counterclockwise spiral.
In this activity you get to create your own winter count! Think of a symbol to represent each year of your life or whichever years you choose. What are some important events, people, places, things or ideas that stand out as a highlight of any given year? Be creative!

Blank winter count template with white squares in clockwise rotation
Winter Count Template

Print this template and make your own winter count!

National Park Service Arrowhead with the various symbols including the Sequoia, Bison, Lake, Mountain and Arrowhead itself.
National Park Service Arrowhead

NPS Photo

Arrowhead Adaptation Activity

The arrowhead is the emblem of the National Park Service. Each part of the arrowhead represents a feature protected within National Park Service sites—these symbolize the natural, wildlife, water, geologic, cultural, and historic resources. The mountain represents landscapes and things like special landforms, scenic beauty, and geologic resources. The lake represents water resources such as rivers, lakes, and streams as well as the creatures that live in those water resources. The bison represents the wildlife that live within the National Parks. The tree, a Giant Sequoia, represents the plant life and natural resources that are protected in the National Parks. The arrowhead itself symbolizes the history and culture of the people within and around the different areas and National Parks.

In order to design your own arrowhead or design your own Missouri National Recreational River arrowhead, brainstorm some ideas with the following questions—
Unique Arrowhead:

  1. What kinds of plants are special to me?
  2. What kinds of animals are special to me?
  3. What types of landforms are special to me?
  4. What types of water resources are special to me?
  5. What shape represents history and culture to me?


Personalized MNRR Arrowhead:

  1. What kinds of plants are protected at Missouri National Recreational River?
  2. What kinds of animals are protected at Missouri National Recreational River?
  3. What are some types of landforms present within the Missouri National Recreational River?
  4. What are the names of the waterways present within the Missouri National Recreational River?
  5. What cultural stories are told at the Missouri National Recreational River?

Blank arrowhead template to be used to design personalized arrowhead
Print this template to design your own arrowhead!

Project: Park Protection Activity

The Missouri National Recreational River was established when the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act adopted by Congress was signed into law on November 10, 1978. The purpose of Missouri National Recreational River is to collaboratively work with multiple stakeholders to preserve and protect the natural, cultural, and recreational values of the last unchannelized and unimpounded segments of North America's longest river along the South Dakota and Nebraska border.
Use the dropdown bar to learn how to create your own park!

Preserve what you believe in! Can you think of any places that you believe should be a part of the National Park Service? Talk with your friends and family about places that are special to you and create a short list that you feel are important. Pick the place you are most passionate about and design your own park!

Using materials you have at home, create a logo for your park. Think about what makes that place special and what aspects of it you might use to represent the park in your logo. Tell us why you chose that place and those symbols to represent your park!

Creativity is key. What is the name of your park? What does it protect and preserve? Does your park have a mascot? If so, what is your park’s mascot and why?

Share your park, park logo, and mascot with us using the #FindYourVirtualMNRR and tag us @MissouriRiverNPS for a chance to be featured!

Blank boxes outlined in black where you can design your steamboat and steamboat flag
Use these blank boxes for your designs

Steamboat Activity

The first steamboat to travel on the Missouri was the Western Engineer in 1819. Many steamboats followed suit some including the Yellowstone which reached Fort Union as well as some unlucky steamboats such as the Chippewa which exploded due to negligence; the Far West which was sunk by a snag; the Western which was crushed in ice jam by Yankton in 1881 and the Salouda which was overworked and blew the boiler.

Use the dropdown bar to learn more about steamboats and how to design your own!

Robert Fulton designed and developed the first commercial steamboat (the North River Steamboat/ Clermont) in 1807 with his steam engine design. Henry Shreve’s shallow hull design was first utilized on the Washington and was built into the design of many other steamboats. The average life of a steamboat was about 5.7 years and approximately twenty percent of boats were destroyed by their third season. This was mainly a result of many obstacles including boiler explosions, fires, and hidden hazards in the river such as snags. Around 289 steamboats sank on the Missouri River between 1819 and 1897. Steamboats carried various types of cargo on the river including supplies for military forts, goods from around the world, settlers, merchants, gold diggers and more.

Steamboats had many parts that kept the ship running including the bow, stern, pilot house, smokestacks, wood supply, boarding plank, cargo, whistle, boiler, paddlewheel, pilot, captain, engineer, crew men and grasshoppers.
The steamboat era of transportation lasted from 1819 to about 1890 as the building of the railroad shifted the way in which travel and transport was conducted.

For this activity you will design your own steamboat! Be sure to include the various parts of a steamboat: bow, stern, pilot house, smokestacks, wood supply, boarding plank, cargo, whistle, boiler, paddlewheel, pilot, captain, engineer, crew and grasshoppers.

Don’t forget about your steamboat’s flag! Design a flag that will get the attention of the people you pass on the shore!

Journey Journal Activity

Images displaying the steps to create your own Lewis and Clark Journal
Steps to creating your Lewis and Clark Journal

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery on an expedition that covered more than 8,000 miles in a timespan of less than two-and-a-half years. President Thomas Jefferson sent these men to explore the continent. Throughout their journey Lewis and Clark noted and sketched many things in their journals ranging from geologic and geographic observations, astronomical and weather observations, scientific and ecological observations, cartographic drafts, the culture and the interactions they had with Native American tribes, what happened daily and much more.

Journals have many uses and are used in a variety of professions and activities. Want to be an explorer like Lewis and Clark? This activity will allow you to make your very own journal! You can write your experiences, observations, feelings, and even sketch what you see on your adventures!

Here’s what you’ll need to complete the activity:

  • Paper grocery bag, craft paper, or thin cardboard from a cereal box, snack box, frozen pizza box, etc.

  • Plain, graph, or lined paper

  • Ruler

  • Scissors

  • Thread

  • Glue

  • Coloring supplies

  • Utensil to poke a hole (safety pin, skewer, etc.)

  • Utensil to weave thread (safety pin, needle, etc.)

Procedure

  1. Choose how many pages you would like to have in your journal.

  2. Taking small sections at a time (such as 5 pieces of paper) fold that section in half. Make sure your edges are as flat as possible. We used the side of our ruler to flatten the edges.

  3. Repeat this fold and flatten process until you have the number of pages you would like. (We considered one piece of paper folded in half to make two pages.)

  4. Once all pages were folded, we used our hole punch to create three holes in the center fold of our pages.

  5. Next we made the outside of our journal. We chose to use a thin cardboard from a snack box. To do this we took one of our paper sections and used it to trace a rectangle the same size as our journal pages.

  6. Then we cut out our journal cover, marked where the three holes from our pages were and poked these out.

  7. Next it was time to bind our journal together! Taking our weaving utensil, we started going through all of the holes in our cover and pages. We started on the inside of the journal, poking our utensil through the pages, through the cover, and then went through the second hole in our journal. We wove it through the second hole into the third and repeated this weaving pattern twice to bind our journal and cover. To complete the binding, we tied a note with the thread and trimmed off the excess.

  8. The last step is to decorate your journal and start detailing your adventures!

Various animals, pelts and track marks
Fur and Pelt Matching Activity

Pelts and Picture Matching Activity

The fur trade increased Euro-American exploration of the Missouri River Valley. This trade focused on fur-bearing animals that could be used for various purposes including hats and clothing as different forms of insulating materials. Not only were pelts used for insulation, but in the 18th century in Missouri pelts were often used as currency. In other words, pelts such as beaver skins had a rate of exchange. For example, 1 kettle was equal to that of 1 beaver pelt; 1 tomahawk was equal to 3 beaver pelts and 1 blanket was equal to 6 beaver pelts.

Looking at the pelts, match them to their corresponding animal and its track marks. To comeplete this activity, save the image and draw connecting lines.

Use this dropdown bar to learn more about the fur trade:

Before Euro-American exploration, many Plains Tribes traded various goods such as dried meat, weapons, tools and produce. As Europeans began to trade with Native Americans, they brought other products such as sugar, coffee, fabrics, knives, guns, and metal cooking pots. In terms of the fur trade, various fur companies were established and some even merged, including the North West Company, Hudson Bay Company, Columbia Fur Company, Frost, Todd, & Company and John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company. Through fur trading there was a cultural exchange between Native Americans and the Euro-American traders such as trading being understood as a social event and exchanging of gifts as well as incorporation of new technology. However, there were downsides to this trading as Native Americans were exposed to diseases they were not immune to. Other downsides to this type of trade include the impact of this trapping and trading on the various animal species. For instance, commercial hunting almost brought the bison population to extinction.
Blank square and empty lines for homestead invention activity
Template for Homestead Activity

Homestead Invention Activity

Life as a homesteader was not easy and required a lot of work in order to survive. Over time, agricultural inventions such as the plow, reaper, tractor, windmill and more played a major role in homesteading.
Think about what technologies make your life easier. Why was each invented?

For this activity, invent something that you think would make your life easier! How would you develop it? How might it impact your life? Using the template to the right, draw your invention in the box and describe it on the lines below the box.

The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln after the secession of southern states. This Act turned over vast amounts of the public domain to private citizens. In order to claim the land, those individuals needed to file their intentions at the nearest Land Office. Although many individuals filed for the land, they did not automatically receive title to the land. In order receive the title, homesteaders had to build a house, farm the land and live on that land for five years, as well as file sworn documents at the end of those five years proving intent.

Utilizing these agricultural technologies as well as materials and items they had in their homes, homesteaders often reused and repurposed many of those materials and items. For example, homesteaders might have reused and repurposed items such as glass jars and wooden barrels. What are some items you might reuse and repurpose? What might you use them for? How does reusing and repurposing items help our environment, communities, and public lands?

Plesiosaur and Paleontology Activity

Fossilized Plesiosaur skull on display and illustration of what a Plesiosaur would have looked like in the water
Fossilized Plesiosaur Skull and NPS Illustration

NPS Photos

The Plesiosaur once swam the waters of an inner sea that covered the plains. Fossils of the “Loch Ness-type” predator have been unearthed in the limestone and shale of the Missouri river banks. In 2001 fossilized Plesiosaur bones were found near Ponca State Park, making it the second Plesiosaur skeleton to ever be found in North America.

Interested in studying fossils? That’s the job of a paleontologist! Paleontologists study the remains of past animals and plants and how they have changed. By “reading” fossils and rocks for clues about past environments and life, paleontologists help us understand what life was like on Earth a very long time ago. This activity will give you a chance to practice your paleontology skills! Use the dropdown bar to learn how to make your own fossil!

Our friends at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and Yellowstone National Park have created a way for you to explore fossilization and petrification and make your very own fossils! Choose whichever fossilization or petrification process you prefer!

A Fossil is defined as any naturally occurring evidence of past life. Fossils need not be mineralized or enclosed in rock.

FOSSILIZATION
For this activity, created by John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, you will need the following materials—

  • Paper Cup

  • Liquid Mud or Clay- of two or more contrasting colors

  • Bones, Shells, Leaves- or other possible fossils

  • Plastic Spoons, Toothpicks, or Small Nails

Set Up
Choosing a small leaf, bone, and/or shells to act as your “fossils”, you will be simulating a lake in which mud is slowly being deposited. In this lake live plants and animals that fall to the bottom when they die. Once at the bottom, dead organisms are buried beneath mud and sediment.
Procedure
Step One: Put a bit of colored mud into your cup.
Step Two: Add mud to your cup in increments, alternating colors and allowing mud to settle between each addition. Be sure to add your fossils to the cup at any point in the “sedimentation” process.
Step Three: After your fossil(s) are buried beneath mud, allow the sediment to dry. The drying of the mud simulates the turning of sediment into rock. Drying will take place much faster if the cups are placed in a warm dry place, even a warm oven, for a few hours.
Step Four: Once drying is complete, excavate your fossils by tearing away the paper cups and digging at the mud with a plastic spoon.

TRACE FOSSILS
A Trace Fossil is an impression of the animal or plant after its death such as a natural mold of a shell.
For this activity, created by John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, you will need the following materials—

  • A Shallow tray or pie plate

  • Modeling clay

  • A carving tool such as a plastic knife, spoon, popsicle stick, etc.

  • A blank notecard to create a Specimen Card for your trace fossil

Set up
In order to have a better understanding of what a trace fossil is, it is important to understand the difference between a trace fossil and an impression made in sediment by non-biological processes preserved in rocks like ancient ripple marks, mud cracks, or raindrops preserved in rock. Those impressions do not represent activities of living things, and they are not trace fossils. A trace fossil is evidence of the activity of a living organism. Trace fossils could include an organism’s footprints, burrow tunnels, root cavities, eggs, nests, or coprolites.
It is your turn to choose a type of trace fossil to recreate that is made from an ancient organism that is now extinct. Be sure to research what the trace fossil looks like as well as the organism that makes it. Be creative!
Procedure
Step One: Using your modeling clay, mold your trace fossil. This is where your research will come in handy!
Step Two: When completed, fill out a specimen card that matches your trace fossil.

PETRIFICATION
Mineralization or Petrification is the condition when a fossil has effectively turned to stone. This occurs as the original organic material is replaced and filled in by minerals. Permineralization and replacement are two types of petrification.
For this activity, created by Yellowstone National Park, you will need the following materials—

  • 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)

  • 2 tablespoons of water

  • 1 paper towel (folded into quarters)
  • 1 plate

Procedure
Step One: Mix the Epsom salt and water on the plate. Roll the paper towel into a log or tube shape. Place the paper towel on the plate.
Step Two: Wait for the Epsom salt and water mixture to disappear. It may take up to a week to dry completely.
Step Three: Observe! What do you notice about your paper towel log?
Why It Works
Wood (your paper towel log) petrifies, or turns to stone, as dissolved minerals (your Epsom salt and water mixture) are absorbed and the minerals slowly replace the wood cells.

National Park Service Junior Paleontologist Passport Stamp Grid
National Park Service Paleo-Park Passport

NPS Photo

Interested in exploring more fossils? Check out the National Park Service’s Junior Paleontologist activities.
Don’t forget to add our virutal passport stamp to your Paleo-Park passport!

Make Your Own Rawhide or Parfleche Activity

Today we use many different types of containers to travel with such as backpacks and suitcases. Much like the objects we use today, Parfleche were containers that were made by Plains Indians to hold a variety of different objects. These contains were different shapes and sizes and were made out of rawhide with sinew or strings and were often decorated. These geometric or abstract designs varied by tribe. The rawhide generally came from buffalo, sometimes elk or deer, and as they were used for travel, they were designed to hang on either side of a horse. Women would also use these containers to carry their belongings on their backs, like our modern-day backpacks, and would contain objects such as dried foods, clothing, sacred objects, and moccasins. As we learned in the Winter Count activity, the buffalo was a very important resource in the lives of the Plains Indians. In this activity you will learn how to make your own rawhide, or make your very own Parfleche container! Use the dropdown bar(s) to complete this activity!

Make Your Own Rawhide
The buffalo (bison) was essential in the lives of the Plains Indians. They used to buffalo for robes, clothing, food, eating utensils, rugs, fuel and tools. The buffalo was highly respected by the Native Americans and they always gave thanks for the buffalo’s assistance in their way of life.
For this activity you will need the following materials—

  • A large brown paper bag

  • Coloring utensils (crayons, markers, stamps, paint, etc.)

  • Scissors

Procedure
Step One: Cut along one seam of the paper bag to open the bag into a large piece of paper.
Step Two: Using scissors or tearing, cut or tear a hide shape from the paper.
Step Three: Using your chosen color utensils, create a story and design on your hide using various symbols or pictographs.
Step Four: Once your story is illustrated, begin to crumple your paper.
Step Five: Continue to work your paper by crumpling, flattening, working, and recrumpling your hide. The oils from your hands, the heat, and the friction all mimic the tanning process. The fibers of your brown paper will break down and soften the more you work the paper.
Step Six: Once you are happy with your hide, share it with us by tagging us on social media!
Instagram—@MissouriRiverNPS
Facebook--@MissouriNationalRecreationalRiver

Our friends at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site and Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site have created patterns and instructions on how you can create your own Parfleche containers! They have included a Box Parfleche Pattern and an Envelope Parfleche Pattern that you can choose from.

Be sure to share your masterpiece with us and thank our friends at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site and Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site for their patterns and instructions! #FindYourVirtualPark #VirtualJuniorRanger

River Safety Scramble Activity

Learn more about being safe on the river by unscrambling the words below to know what to bring along with you on your river adventure!

  1. IEFL ECTAKJ
  2. SAEOPRLN LFNIOTTOA VEDECI
  3. NTSECI LEEEPTLRN
  4. OIPPTRAEPAR FTACEARRTW
  5. EVRRI INTOICSNDO
  6. DINIKRGN WRTAE
  7. RXEAT DDPALE
  8. SEUNECRSN
  9. NESGSSLASU
  10. MDREIIBW AHT
  11. UBAELRD ERIRV DALSNAS
  12. FOLU RTEWHAE AREG
  13. IFTSR DAI ITK
  14. ERHTET PORES
  15. ALFOT LANP
  16. NKCAS
  1. Life Jacket
  2. Personal Flotation Device
  3. Insect Repellent
  4. Appropriate Watercraft
  5. River Conditions
  6. Drinking Water
  7. Extra Paddle
  8. Sunscreen
  9. Sunglasses
  10. Wide-Brim Hat
  11. Durable River Sandals
  12. Foul Weather Gear
  13. First Aid Kit
  14. Tether Ropes
  15. Float Plan
  16. Snack

Spirit Mound Historic Prairie Geology

Spirit Mound holds various cultural and historical meanings and significance. The mound is held sacred by several Native American tribes and is associated with a visit from the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804.

Spirit Mound is a natural hill that rises from a plain covered by glacial till and is known geologically as a formation of roche moutonee. This is a bedrock knob that was shaped but not leveled by the last Pleistocene glacier 13,000 years ago. The central core of Spirit Mound is a bedrock of Niobrara chalk that the continent ice sheet did not erode away. The chalk—consisting of fossil shells deposited in an ancient sea—is evident on the north side of the hill.


Spirit Mound glacial hill. The site is covered in green grass. Blue skies.
Spirit Mound Historic Prairie

Studying rocks can help us gain a better understanding of the Earth. They can help us understand how things form and change, what materials they are made of, and explore concepts such as changes in environments. Ready to rock? Find a rock around your home and use the dropdown bar to study it carefully. Geological information on landforms and rocks and minerals may be helpful for this activity.

What does your rock look like? Describe your rock as best as you can.

What color is your rock?

Does it have any: Fossils? Crystals? Dark or light bands? Bits of other rocks? Holes? Flakes? Spots? Stripes?

Is it: Shimmery? Transparent? Translucent? Glassy? Dull?

Geologists often draw the rocks and formations they see to help them see the details they might miss. Use the box template as your geologist’s sketch of your rock.

What does your rock feel like?
Is your rock heavy or light?

Does it feel jagged, smooth, or grainy?
Does it feel rough like sandpaper?

Does your rock have a smell?

What does your rock sound like when you tap it with your fingernail? With another rock?

Based on your descriptions, where do you think your rock came from? Our friend's at Devils Tower National Monument have a Rock Type table that is very useful for this activity!

How do you think it formed?

What kind of rock do you think it is?

When you are finished with this activity remember to put your rock back where you found it as Junior Rangers practice Leave No Trace ethics by not taking anything from its home in nature. You rocked that activity!
Use this box to sketch your rock!

Lewis and Clark Trunk Activity

Checklist of various items that were in Lewis and Clark's trunk
Use this image to check off what you would take with you in your trunk. Feel free to add whatever else you might take with you on a trip!

What Would You Take with You in Your Trunk?

Lewis and Clark led the Corps of Discovery, an important story tied to the Missouri River. Between 1804-1806 they were the forerunners of Westward Expansion. For their long journey they packed their essentials in a trunk. Below is a list of items that would have been included in their travel trunk. Decide what you would have included from this list on your own exploration!
Is there something that is not on this list that you would take with you?
Would anyone be going on the trip with you?

MNRR Destinations Word Search

Search your way through the jumble of letters and find some of the places to explore when you visit the Missouri National Recreational River.

Word search of destinations within the Missouri National Recreational River boundaries
See how many destinations you can find! If you would like the answer key please email Ranger Dugan.

Missouri National Recreational River Junior Ranger Quiz

  1. How many miles long is the Missouri River?
  2. How many miles of the Niobrara River are part of the park?
  3. Name two places Lewis and Clark visited within the park?
  4. Why was Yankton so important for steamboats?
  5. What is the name of the ship that hit a snag and is still visible in the river when the water is low enough?
  6. What is one of the reasons why the Missouri National Recreational River became a National Park Service site?
  7. There are lots of things to do when you visit the Missouri National Recreational River. Name three of them.
  8. What Native American groups live(d) along the Missouri?
  9. Name the three main endangered or threatened species in the Missouri National Recreational River.
  10. What types of natural features can you find in the Missouri National Recreational River?
  1. 2,341 Miles
  2. 20 Miles
  3. Spirit Mound, Mulberry Bend, Mouth of the Niobrara, Ionia Volcano, Mouth of Vermillion River, White Chalk Bluffs, Calument Bluff, Bow Creek, Gavins Point Dam, Old Baldy, Bon Homme
  4. Territorial Capital of Dakota
  5. North Alabama
  6. MNRR Significance Statements:
    • The MNRR is one of the more prominent places in the United States where two contrasting geologic landscapes come together. The ancient sea sediments of the Cretaceous period, such as the chalkstone bluffs, and the glacially altered terrain of the Pleistocene, are clearly visible.
    • The MNRR protects one of the last remnant examples in the nation of a dynamic channel habitat in a large river system. It contains a mosaic of sandbars, backwaters, islands, side channels, and riparian cottonwood forests that were historically found throughout the Missouri River corridor.
    • The MNRR serves as a crossroads for a long and rich human history, past and present, from early American Indians to European America exploration, western steamboat commerce, and expansion to the West. The number and variety of prehistoric and historic resources, including prehistoric villages, steamboat wrecks, and Fort Randall, attest to the long history of human use.
    • The MNRR provides a multitude of recreational opportunities that are regionally significant and are enriched by the variety of access points, land-based trails, and a national water trail. The ever-changing river provides visitors the unique opportunity to frequently re-explore the park.
    • The Missouri National Recreational River provides rare and exceptional vistas of expansive river valleys, impressive geologic features, and a wide, braided river channel with sandbars, snags, and islands.
  7. Any of the Activities Guide suggestions, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, etc.
  8. Ponca, Yankton Sioux, Santee Sioux, Omaha, Yankton Nakota, Teton (Brule) Lakota
  9. Pallid Sturgeon, Least Tern, Piping Plover
  10. Islands, backwaters, sandbars, bluffs, etc.
Virtual Junior Ranger Oath Banner with the Junior Ranger symbol, NPS Arrowhead and the DOI Symbol

You have completed the activites to become an official Virtual Junior Ranger at Missouri National Recreational River! All that's left is to read the Junior Ranger Pledge and print your badge!

“I, (fill in name), am proud to be a National Park Service Junior Ranger. I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national parks. I also promise to continue learning about the landscape, plants, animals and history of these special places. I will share what I learn with my friends and family.”

Gold and tan Missouri National Recreational River Virtual Junior Ranger Badge

Congratulations!

You are now an official Missouri National Recreational River Virtual Junior Ranger!
To download your Virtual Junior Ranger badge, right click and “save image as” jpeg. Navigate to your downloads folder and open the image on your computer. From there you can print your Virtual Junior Ranger badge.

A few ideas for displaying your badge:
Print your badge, use it as a template to cut a piece of cardboard matching the shape, and then glue the paper and a pin onto the cardboard!
Use tape to secure it into your passport or scrapbook!
Set it as your background on a phone or tablet!
Tape it to your notebook!
The choice is yours!

MNRR Virtual Junior Ranger Certificate with painting of river in the background. Text is in white and Missouri National Recreational River banner lines the top of the certificate with the NPS arrowhead and NPS and DOI.
MNRR Virtual Junior Ranger Certificate
If you would like a personalized Virtual Junior Ranger Certificate please email Ranger Dugan. Here is a sneak peak of the certificate!

Missouri National Recreational River

Last updated: August 18, 2020