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One of the many quality programs offered by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the Junior Ranger Program provides children and their parents an opportunity to explore both the natural and human history of their community and their relationship to the Mississippi River. Children may become Junior Rangers through activities provided by the Park and upon completion of an activity receive a certificate and Junior Ranger badge. Organized Junior Ranger programs include riding a Mississippi River barge, birding expeditions, prairie restoration, hunting fossils on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, among others. Self-directed options are also available. Five booklets, including three new ones, are available for free throughout the park, including an exciting booklet specific to Amtrak’s Empire Builder, a passenger train, that uses the program to both entertain and teach young passengers on its run between Winona, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois. The program is growing swiftly as the Park produces new programming, but demand is also increasing. The free voyageur canoeing program, in cooperation with Wilderness Inquiry, was so popular that the participation limit was reached within four days of the program’s announcement. A mother of one of the Junior Rangers wrote in regards to the canoeing trip, “I REALLY hope that you can do this again as we don't have a lot of funds to try out nature based things like this.” The Park is also exploring ways to serve other underserved audiences, such as providing Spanish-to-English interpretation at an evening birding trip this fall. 
Canoeing the Mississippi River View Larger 
Locking Through Larger View |
Last updated: November 22, 2019