A Banner Day for Island Families

The Group Leaders: Giana Moalli, Grace Eltinge, Maggie Zehner, Ava Martin, Katie Ryan & Milo Martin – Contributed photo

by Theresa Simendinger

In collaboration; the SJ Trails Committee, and Island Rec sponsored the great idea from the Land Bank and the National Park Service of a family event, hiking out to Briggs Lake, for the Family Nature Club on June 4th. On a bright spring-like day, youth leader Ava Martin, 11, and friends set a bouncy pace out to Briggs Lake in the Roche Harbor Highlands. Roche Harbor, as most are aware, allows hiking, riding of bikes and horses and all around good times outdoors in nature on their open space.

This group was made up of families, all walkers some with strollers, 44 in all and 24 kids under 15! Lamenting the facts of not
enough kids outdoors, the groups came together with this idea to get everyone outdoors, and ask the kids to lead it, promote it and scout it in advance. And they did, they hung posters all over town and schools, and talked to their friends and families.

Raena Parsons of the NPS gives a talk on amphibians: frogs,toads, newts, salamanders – Contributed photo

The Martin family are all avid hikers, including the Grandparents. Ava and her dad Randy hiked out to check mileage and different routes in advance.

Raena Parsons of the National Park Service gave a well-received (by the kids especially) short talk on frogs, newts, lizards etc. After lunch some with very small children walked the mile back to the parking area. But Ava and friends led the rest around the complete lake loop trail of 5 miles. By all accounts a great day outside!

Many thanks to Public Works for fixing the storm-ruined parking area just in time for the event.

The next (monthly) Family Nature Club Event is Tide Pooling, Saturday July 22 from 9:30-11:30 with long time FH Labs researcher, Dr Erika Iyengar.
Meet at Lime Kiln Point State Park to walk down to the Land Bank’s Deadman Bay Preserve.

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