Get Exploring This Summer!

The weather has been beautiful and sunny lately and I have been spending a lot of my time outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do are walk through the local parks and ride my bike on Duck Creek Trail. I love watching the trees grow their leaves back and flowers start to bloom. When I am out, I see some people using the green spaces like I am, but not a lot of people and even less kids. It makes me wonder why more people do not utilize these beautiful spaces. How do we encourage people to go outdoors and enjoy nature?

River Action has come up with a way to combat summer couch potatoes with our environmental scavenger hunt, Explore & Seek. Explore & Seek is an expansion on our Ride & Seek scavenger hunt last summer as we want everyone, even individuals without bicycles to be able to participate in the fun. Explore & Seek will take friends and families to parks and conservation areas all around the Quad Cities. The goal is to walk, hike, run, or bike to find clues to answer the questions you are provided. If you answer all the questions by the end of June, you will be entered into a drawing to win fun prizes! Some of the amazing places you will go to include Devil’s Glen Park in Bettendorf, West Lake Park in Davenport, and Sunset Park in Rock Island. There are 20 parks and green spaces in all, and you get to choose the route! We will also have the event on the I Naturalist App, where participants can upload pictures of their plant, animal, and insect observations on a platform for everyone to see!

We hope that Explore & Seek will encourage friends and families to get outside and utilize the beautiful green spaces around the Quad Cities while promoting environmental awareness. Instead of your family doing separate activities at home like playing video games and watching TV, why not get your family to explore the local parks together while looking for clues!

Explore & Seek will begin on June 1st so make sure you sign-up soon while supplies last! Packets cost $30 if picked up at the River Action office and $37 if you would like the event packet mailed to your home. The packet will include two fanny packs, two field guide notebooks, a map, questions and clues for the conservation areas, an answer sheet and coupons for local businesses that are nearby. We hope you and your family will join us this summer to explore the Quad City natural areas!