A key part of the success of Pickering Creek’s annual EcoCamp is its Junior Naturalists (JNs). JNs, who are middle and high school students, form a consistent backbone to Pickering Creek’s summer EcoCamp. Summer camp counselors lead summer camp groups and are often college students. They come and go annually. JNs return every year to ensure that EcoCamp’s spirit, the favorite songs, games, activities and traditions are enjoyed by new campers every summer. In addition to providing invaluable service to the camp every summer, JNs get to spend time with the Center’s naturalists throughout the year, learning more about nature, science and public speaking.
As the Pickering team prepared for this coming school year’s menu of Junior Naturalist program offerings the team determined that a more robust schedule of exploring was needed and it was time to broaden the program’s horizons to attract new participants to the program who could benefit from the wisdom of the current program’s participants and add new ideas as the program grows.
So far this fall JNs have enjoyed a night hike led by Pickering naturalist Patrick Carney and Maryland Department of Natural Resources education staff person Edwin Guevara. During the hike fourteen Junior Naturalists explored the Mossy Woods Trail at Pickering Creek using special ultraviolet (UV) flashlights to detect lifeforms with biofluorescence. These plants and animals have colors and patterns that only show up under UV light. For example, what appears green and white to our eye glows orange under UV light.
In their exploration they found fluorescent insects, fungus, marbled salamanders, a box turtle and snow berry clear wing caterpillars. In October JNs paddled the creek in canoes, visiting a spartina marsh at the head of Pickering Creek, enjoying bald eagles soaring overhead, and learning about fall tree fruits during one of their landings during the trip.
In mid-October, JNs took one of two longer trips scheduled for the year. Junior Naturalist spent the day at Calvert Cliffs. During the trip JNs hiked three miles along the silver and red trails, enjoying beautiful fall foliage on their way out to beach. Along the trails JNs saw a wide variety of mushrooms, lots of signs of beaver activity and tested their balancing skills as they navigated the tide flooded boardwalk along one of the trails. At the beach they we delighted to find shark’s teeth, fossilized scallop shells and eagle ray teeth.
The Junior Naturalist program welcomes new participants year-round. Coming up on Tuesday, December 9 from 4–7PM, JNs will learn about campfire-building and outdoor cooking. In February, JNs will learn wildlife tracking in winter on February 3rd at 4pm and have a full-day trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, the 7th. Programs in March and April focus on vernal pools and spring migration, May features a wetland hike and training for summer camp activities.
Pickering Creek’s Junior Naturalist Club is for middle and high schoolers (rising 7th through 12th graders) who have an interest in connecting with nature, learning outdoor skills, and meeting environmental professionals! Junior Naturalists meet monthly after school during the school year for professionally-led expeditions at Pickering Creek during which club members learn and practice outdoor skills including nature observation, canoeing, fire-building, wildlife tracking, plant identification, and more. The program includes occasional off-site field trips and service-learning opportunities. In the summer months, Junior Naturalists volunteer for 1-3 weeks as Junior Camp Counselors during Pickering Creek’s popular EcoCamp. At camp, Junior Camp Counselors learn leadership, mentoring, and problem- solving skills – all while working with younger children and earning service-learning hours! Information about signing up to be a Junior Naturalist can be found at https://pickeringcreek.org/
