The ecocenter says the summer camps sell out and members have first dibs. Director of exhibits and visitor experience Hunter Klingensmith says interested parents can go online to see what camps are still available when general registration opens March 19 at 9 a.m.
She says spots go fast.
“We are maxed out on both in capacity for both staff and space in the ecocenter for those programs,” Klingensmith said. “We do run a lot throughout the summer, there are half-day and full-day options.”
She says they also offer afterschool camps through May.
“We also still have space in our ‘Wild Explorers’ afterschool programs, which happen on Tuesdays,” she said. “They usually run for a month, so you would register your kid for that month of Tuesdays. So, in April, the theme is ‘Mountain Marvels’ and that's Tuesday April 1, 8 and 22 and then in May we have ‘Welcoming Wetlands,’ which should be really fun, because May is such a cool time on the preserve. You get to get out and stomp around in the water and see lots of wildlife. And that one is May 6, 13 and 20 and it's $60 per session.”
The preserve is known for its Sandhill crane population – couples that return to the preserve every spring. She says they spotted the first returning pair just last week.
“They are back, and we are looking forward to them mating and laying eggs any time now,” she said. “Usually they have about a 30-day gestational period, and if they lay eggs again in the pond right outside of the ecocenter, which we're assuming that's the pair that lays there that was on the back deck, we will have the webcam focused on the nest, and you can watch the whole process happen. Right now, we have the webcam kind of panning between cranes we can find on the preserve and elk.”
The exhibit on butterflies is available until May 4. Designed for ages three to 12, she says the exhibit doesn’t feature live butterflies but teaches the butterfly’s life cycle and challenges it faces along the way from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.
More information and a link to the webcam are available at kpcw.org.
