The Darke County Park District invites the public to join them every Tuesday morning at 8am at Shawnee Prairie Preserve at 4267 St. Rt. 502 west of Greenville for their Early Morning Discovery Hikes. These hikes allow adults a chance to watch the seasons change and to discover the many life forms in their own backyard. The slowly warming temperatures make this a great time to enjoy and learn about nature. These walks focus on bird watching, trees, fungi identification, and much more. Attendees are asked to bring a pair of binoculars if possible; otherwise some are available for loan. Hikes will be held rain or shine. If you have any questions about the Early Morning Discovery Hikes or any other program offered by the park district, please call the Nature Center at (937) 548-0165 or visit the website at www.darkecountyparks.org.

Did you know? Native American ate wild hyacinth bulbs baked, dried, raw, and roasted.

For over a decade, Darke County Parks summer camps have been an annual tradition for families. In the parks continued commitment to get kids outside to learn, appreciate, and enjoy nature, they offer two styles of camps, day camps and mini camps. The classic day camps are similar to the format the parks has done for the last ten years featuring crafts, take home items, lots of nature, and fun.

The day camps include hand on activities, a t-shirt, a snack, and fun take home items. Camps for 6-7 year olds are as follows. “Things With Wings,” a flight themed camp, will run June 19th through 23rd from 10am to 12pm with a $65 fee being charged, and “Rocks,” a geology camp, will run June 26th through 30th from 10am to 12pm with a $65 fee being charged.

The camps for 8-9 year olds include “Trailblazers,” an adventure and hiking themed camp on July 10th through 14th from 10am-12pm with a $70 fee, and “Ocean Explorers,” a sea themed camp on July 24th through 29th from 10am-12pm with a $70 fee.

The 10-12 year old camps are “Let’s Paddle,” a canoe and kayak camp on June 12th through 16th from 1pm to 4pm with a $75 fee, and “Survive the Ohio Territory,” a survival themed camp on July 31st through August 4th from 10am-12pm with a $75 fee.

The final day camp offering is “Adventure Zone,” an action packed camp for 13-15 year olds on July 17th through 21st from 10am-4pm with a $125 fee.

The two mini camps for 6-9 year olds offer a condensed program with three days of camp involving hands on activity, take home crafts, and lots of time outdoors. The sessions offered are “Stamp into Nature,” a letterboxing camp on Monday, June 12th through Wednesday, June 14th from 9:30am-12pm with a $30 fee, and “Christmas in July,” a Christmas themed camp on Wednesday, July 5th through Friday, July 7th from 10am to 12pm.

For more information about any of these camps or to sign children up, please contact the Nature Center at (937) 548-0165 or email info@darkecountyparks.org.