Lots of dragonflies and butterflies were caught with bug nets

These two enjoyed chasing after crawdads

Paul McKenzie shares a toad with the group of campers

Columbia Missouri Field Office has teamed up with Kid-Connect summer camp to provide inner-city children with an educational outdoor experience.  This is the third annual CMFO nature camp and there were around twenty kids who attended the camp this year.  Staff kicked off the event at Rockbridge State Park with a nature scavenger hunt.  The kids had a blast searching for the sounds, sights, and smells of the great outdoors.  Paul McKenzie, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, and Hilary Shaw, education specialist, were on-hand to answer questions and offer insight about the discoveries made by the children.

            The second day of the camp was devoted to learning about aquatic life and stream health.  Paul McKenzie led an exercise with the kids to demonstrate the amount of freshwater available for use and the importance of protecting our freshwater resources.  Every child was given a fish net and let loose to explore the creek.  All kinds of critters were found in the stream including crawdads, darters, waterbugs, and minnows, to name a few.  In the afternoon the activities were moved inside to avoid the summer heat.  A game of bird bingo entertained and educated, the day was ended with a nature video.  Next year staff hope to expand the program to include more of the kids in our community.