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| Kids & Creeks at Bear Creek Park |
The Kids and Creeks event at Bear Creek Park in Medford is truly a wonderful adventure to embark on as a family. When we decided to go, we weren't quite sure what to expect and we are were truly delighted.
When we go to the park we were promptly greeted and handed a map directing us all around the park to different stations featuring different organizations from Southern Oregon. Each of them are working to preserve and educate us about this amazing eco-system we are surrounded by.
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| Map for Kids & Creeks |
Fly tying was the first activity we decided to join. The Rogue Flyfishers were there to teach the kids. They were a very nice group of gentlemen with the utmost patience. Ilias immediately dove in and was taught how to tie a fly from start to finish. Olivia sat and watched for a little while until one of the other gentlemen said she should tie one. We were all entranced by the whole process, it truly is an art form.
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| Wrapping the feather around the hook at Kids & Creeks. |
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| Ilias making the bug at Kids & Creeks |
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| Rogue Flyfishers at Kids & Creek. |
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| Olivia cutting the thread wrapping the hook at Kids & Creeks. |
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| The almost finished fly at Kids & Creek. |
The Rogue Flyfishers then showed Ilias and Gary how to use a fly fishing rod. They both loved learning to cast and found that it was way easier than they thought it was going to be. Gary was almost lulled into a meditative state. I think they both found a new hobby to tackle!
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| Ilias learning to cast at Kids and Creeks. |
We were then directed down to the creek to watch salmon spawning. What an awesome experience. We actually saw salmon swimming and jumping up Bear Creek trying to get back home to lay their eggs
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| They can see salmon spawning at Kids & Creeks. |
I wish I could have captured a picture of the salmon spawning, next time I will make more time to sit patiently and wait for the perfect shot. But you really need to be there to truly appreciate the beauty of it all. While we were down by the creek the kids were also, able to catch critters with nets and they actually caught some baby crayfish. Olivia was both excited and grossed out all at once.
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| They supplied the boots and nets at Kids and Creeks at Bear Creek Park. |
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| Olivia taking a gander at what the boys caught. |
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| Baby crayfish. |
We next stopped at the Stormwater Management booth. They provided us information on how we can help improve the quality of stormwater runoff in conjunction with our rivers, lakes, and streams.
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| Olivia sprayed water at the top and watched as it flowed down into the lake. |
Our next stop was the Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates. They educated us about monarch butterflies, and how they may soon be an endangered species. They even gave us some seeds to plant milkweed, which draws butterflies.
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| Olivia became a Monarch caterpillar. |
Moving on down the path we spoke to a young man who works with the Lomakatsi Restoration Project. It is a non-profit, grassroots organization that develops and implements forest and watershed restoration projects in Oregon and northern California. They encourage all to do their part and offer volunteer opportunities also.
Our next stop Jackson Soil & Water Conservation District helps people protect and conserve their natural resources. They offer camps, workshops and volunteer opportunities for anyone that is interested.
They poured purple water through all different types of soil to show how they all filter differently. Crazy how the different soils changed the color of the water.
Rogue River Watershed wants us to help make the Rogue River watershed be healthy, productive and beautiful. The kids were able to play in the stream table that simulated the different possibilities that may occur in the Rogue River during the changes in weather. It also showed the different habitats for wildlife and how they may adapt to their surrounding environment.
They also actually dissected a salmon so that we could see the workings of a fish. Olivia wasn't ready to tackle that, so we just watched a family that was there as they dissected the salmon.
Our last stop was Stream Smart they taught us how we need to keep Bear Creek clean by reducing our own storm water pollution. They had actual water samples from Bear Creek bottled for us to look at. It was really horrible to see how bad it has become and made us want to do our part to help.
The whole event was truly extraordinary, full of fun while being educational and helped direct us to possible future volunteer opportunities that we can participate in as a family. This will be something we hope to make an annual family tradition to attend. Both Ilias and Olivia loved it and it certainly helped them appreciate the many things we can do to help keep Oregon beautiful and green.
If you want to go it will be on Saturday, October 15th, 11am to 3pm at Bear Creek Park in Medford. MAP
For more FREE events in Southern Oregon visit us on our website here.
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