Junior Rangers
Earlier today, my firstborn was rafting a short way down the American River with his Junior Rangers day camp. It’s kind of stunning to think he’s old enough to be on a raft without me, but … well, he is. How cool is that?
This two-week morning day camp has been wonderful. Lucas and three of his close classmates from Sacramento Waldorf School are in camp together. Here are Lucas and R on the first day of camp.
And here they are today (with R’s little brother, R) at Ancil Hoffman Park, sitting on a low oak tree branch, soaking wet from rafting and proud as could be for having had such a great adventure!
Today they saw wildlife and enjoyed the bounty of our beautiful river. Last week they went rock climbing and fishing. Yesterday they picked up trash along the river and learned about pollution and its effects on our precious environment. These children are being educated to love and care for what’s left of our natural world in the Sacramento area and beyond. Little brother, R, has been participating in a week-long program for younger children and learning about the water cycle. Normally these programs extend all summer into the early part of August. This year, they end on June 25.
We are big fans of the programs at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, as I’ve mentioned before. The center is in trouble, and a grassroots group is trying to secure continued funding, which is not in the 2010-11 county parks budget. They are asking for people to write letters and call the county supervisors.
Sacramento County’s website reports: “The Effie Yeaw Nature Center program would be unfunded, and the remaining 4 permanent staff would be subject to lay-off. No funding would be available to operate the nature center and preserve. Programs serving 128,000 participants would be eliminated unless a community based organization could provide those programs and operate the museum and preserve funded by fees, grants, and donations.”
The American River Natural History Association, ARNHA, will be that “community based organization.” They are working to save the nature center and keep it open.
I hope this wonderful community resource will still be around when Asher is old enough for the Nature Detectives and Junior Rangers.
