Are you and your kids looking for a fun way to get out and enjoy nature this fall? The Go Green Club from Rushford-Peterson Middle School/High School, Mannix Darr, who is working toward his Eagle Scout rank, and the city of Rushford have worked to create a plant scavenger hunt using the trails at Magelssen Bluff Park in Rushford. The plant identification scavenger hunt will be introduced the evening of September 17 to students and families. The event will begin at 5 p.m. at the base of the Magelssen Bluff along Winona Street and conclude around 7 p.m.
Members of the Go Green Club will go through a demonstration of a few plant identifications with students and families to explain and show how the hunt works.
Mannix Darr will be present to explain the work he and the scouts have done and will be finishing on the scavenger hunt as part of his Eagle Scout project. Participating scavenger hunters will each receive a scavenger hunt slip; once the slip is filled out, the successful hunters will receive a certificate of completion and some goodies.
The scavenger hunt was funded with a SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Partnership) grant. SHIP grants are intended to encourage physical activities and healthy changes in communities throughout the state. Sally Ryman, who was familiar with the SHIP grants, suggested the program to Mr. Jacob Kramer, the Go Green Advisor. With the backing of the school, the city council and the Chamber Of Commerce, Kramer and seven Go Green members worked to identify the plants in Magelssen Bluff Park using iNaturalist, a plant app.
After the identifications were completed, Kramer forwarded the information to Sally Ryman. The next step was for Kayla Thompson to create the scavenger hunt slips for the project. Public Works approved the map signs for the hunt which were produced by Wild Exhibits and did the installations of the signs. SHIP funds were used to pay for many of the materials for the project as well as the work done by both Thompson and WIld Exhibits.
Rushford-Peterson Valley Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the plant scavenger hunt webpage on its website. There will be a QR code on the site to enable people to use the internet to sign up for the scavenger hunt in the future.
Mannix Darr raised other needed funding as part of his Eagle Scout project; he will also be in charge of installing trail marker signs to clarify the trails used in the hunt at their intersections as well as an informational kiosk which will be located at the top of Magelssen Bluff.
Posters will be put up around Rushford to help introduce the scavenger hunt. A QR code will be included on the poster and signs on the trails to facilitate access to the plant ID scavenger hunt information and slips. Completed scavenger hunt slips along with photos taken of the plants successfully found can be submitted at the school or the public library. Scavenger hunters will then be given their certificates.
Kramer plans on teaching his environmental science class a basic unit using the trails and the plant identification scavenger hunt. He encourages other teachers and the entire community to use it as well, suggesting that another focus for classes using it could be descriptive writing.
The Go Green Club came into existence in 2021, Kramer’s second year of teaching at R-P. The club is open to sixth through 12th graders; the intent of the club is to provide outdoor and stewardship opportunities for all interested students at a free or reduced cost. The Club goes fishing, rock climbing, skiing, etc. The members of the club suggest and choose adventures based on their own interests. The club has a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities; once a month they usually do some sort of outdoor recreational adventure or take advantage of an environmental learning opportunity.
One of Go Green’s very successful stewardship projects is the local plastic recycling which has recycled a little over 4,200 pounds of plastic film since beginning the project!
Possible future extensions of the scavenger hunt could involve a bird identification with the scavenger hunters recording bird songs, capturing wild life on video or perhaps an insect scavenger hunt.
Be sure to check out the new plant identification scavenger hunt this fall. Signs with maps of the trails at the park as well as trail marker signs will help guide you; information on the posters, hunt slips and website will add to your knowledge. Get out and enjoy nature and the beautiful fall season with your family and friends!
Leave a Reply