Kids go wild at Junior Ranger Day

Friday, May 5, 2023

DAR/Samantha Tucker

The next generation of outdoor enthusiasts flocked to Alley Spring on May 3 to learn about the Ozark wilderness, meet birds of prey, and be sworn in as Junior Rangers. The educational holiday is a yearly tradition at national parks across the nation. It was put on hiatus at Alley Spring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jacks Fork District Interpreter Josh Chilton delivers an orientation to potential junior rangers at Alley Spring on Wednesday, May 3.
Students cheer at Alley Spring's Junior Ranger Day. Over 200 students in grades third through sixth were bussed in from across the region.
A plush toy stands in for an Indiana big brown bat as a presenter explains how researchers tag and release bats.
Carl Romesburger holds a tube containing caddisfly larvae and their cocoons, which are made of sand and organic matter in stream beds. Romesburger is a member of the Jacks Fork/Current River Missouri Stream Team.

A student lines up a solar eclipse with miniature planets on a yardstick.
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer Todd Wilkinson, left, demonstrates to Ellington students how not to escape a rootwad while canoing. A rootwad is a ball of tree roots and debris in a river capable of entrapping boats. This rootwad was fellow volunteer Darrel Kerr.
Maury Mertz lifts a junior ranger up to meet Reese, a trail horse. Mertz is a member of Back Country Horsemen of Missouri.
Students learn what supplies they need for a hike in woods.
Riley, a barn owl, tests the breeze during an owl and raptor show during Junior Ranger Day. The World Bird Sanctuary's show proved to be a star attraction at the 2023 Junior Ranger Day.
Mountain View Elementary students pose by a tributary of the Jacks Fork River during Junior Ranger Day. Back row, from left: Darby Baugh, Odin Scott, Jackson Nugent and Drystan Hamilton. Front: Zack McNewt and James Anderson.
Bill "Ranger Bill" O'Donnell leads new junior rangers in an oath to explore, learn and protect. O'Donnell is the retired resource education specialist at Ozark National Scenic Riverways and helped get the park's first Junior Ranger Day going.
Students explore Alley Spring and Mill during Junior Ranger Day on Wednesday, May 3.