Paris Mountain State Park

For the past week, we have been volunteering at our state park. We lead second graders on a nature hike. I love being around the little children and hearing their conversations. Some of the children have never been to a state park before! 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Nice Day at Lake Conestee

This morning after breakfast, we went to Lake Conestee Nature Park and did a 2 mile hike. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people on the trails. I was glad to see lots of children enjoying nature too. We looked for wildflowers and animals. We saw a bird-watching group and one of the watchers told me what they were looking at. I think we found a whole big group of box elder bugs. At first I thought they were tiny seeds until they started moving. The water flowers were lovely and we even saw some turtles. 

Scavenger Hunt

This week we went on a Scavenger Hunt at Cedar Falls Park. The scavenger hunt was organized by our Senior Center staff and it was a great way to get outdoors and get some exercise. When we arrived, we were given a bag of goodies. A list of scavenger items to look for, a bottle of water, snacks, a magnet, and a pen were in the bag. We walked along a paved path to the river and ended up at the falls. It was a nice day for a walk and the weather was perfect. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold. Along the way, Don and I looked for wildflowers. We saw lyre-leafed sage, sowthistle, wild daffodils, ebony spleenwort, and spotted wintergreen. Everyone seemed to have fun. 

Volunteering at a State Park

Recently we attended the School Program Volunteer Orientation at Paris Mountain State Park.  We have been doing this about ten years now and have really enjoyed it. This orientation is held twice a year and volunteers help with the school groups that come to the park. Teachers of second and fifth graders can sign up for the science program and the sign up usually fills up within the first few days it opens for teachers to register. Volunteers can either choose to help with the creek study or the lake hike and sign up for the day(s) they are available. After orientation, Ranger Cathy asks that you observe before you do it on your own so that you can feel comfortable helping out. You can observe more than once if you need to in order to feel more comfortable. It is a worthwhile program to help with and if you are in the area, you might consider checking into it. If you don’t live in the area and want to volunteer, check with the state park in your area to see if there is anything like this.

Original photo by Pat Hensley