News Release

Annual Junior Ranger Day to be Held May 4th at Alley Spring

Date: April 19, 2018
Contact: Dave Tobey, 573-323-8093
Contact: Dena Matteson, 573-323-4814

EMINENCE, MO: The annual Junior Ranger Day event at Ozark National Scenic Riverways will be held at Alley Spring on Friday, May 4th. Each year, students and youth organizations come together with educators from natural resource agencies for an exciting day of outdoor education exhibits and activities. Students from area schools will begin arriving at 9:00 a.m. A brief welcoming ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and then classes will rotate through a variety of engaging activity stations until approximately 2 p.m. Participants should bring a picnic lunch and dress to spend the day outdoors. 

Activities, displays, and presentations are targeted toward 4th and 5th grade students. Homeschool students and scout groups will find this event to be a wonderful educational opportunity. The general public is also welcome to attend. Schools and large groups should RSVP by calling Dave Tobey at 573-323-8093 or email e-mail us.

The main event for students will be a live Birds of Prey presentation by bird handlers from the Dickerson Park Zoo. Activities will include a short hike with Ozark Trail Association volunteers, paddling skills presented by American Canoe Association Instructors, outdoor skills with National Park Service Rangers, and archery instruction provided by National Archery in the Schools instructors. Special programs will be presented about caves, snakes, bears, butterflies, fish, wildfires, and much more.  

Participating organizations include Missouri State Parks, Missouri Department of Conservation, Bonebrake Center, Project WET, Springfield Plateau Grotto, American Canoe Association, Ozark Trail Association, Master Naturalists of Missouri, Missouri State University, and National Association of Archery in the Schools. For more information call 573-323-8093 or visit us online at www.nps.gov/ozar.

Alley Spring is located approximately six miles west of Eminence, Missouri, on State Route 106. Activities will conclude at approximately 2:00 p.m. with a ceremony to swear in all students as official Junior Rangers and award them their badges.  

Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork Rivers, the surrounding resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.

For more information about the Riverways, call [phone]; visit the park’s Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.

-NPS-

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