Shared by Paige Ragno - AmeriCorps Member, as Guest Blogger.

With the summer in full swing, it’s a great time to get outside and explore. To help enhance your nature exploration, York River State Park is now offering Junior Ranger gear free to borrow for day use to park guests.

Our Junior Ranger backpacks may be checked out at the Visitor Center from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily. These backpacks include items like identification guides, seining tools for fossil finding, and much more. To accompany the backpacks is a BINGO activity sheet that can be completed using the tools provided in the pack. If you successfully complete a BINGO, you will receive a special Junior Ranger sticker to take home as part of your achievement.

If you have enjoyed your time investigating and learning in the great outdoors with your BINGO activities, you can continue the journey by purchasing York River’s self-guided Junior Ranger book. The book is available for sale in our Visitor Center for $5.

Completion of all activities in the book will earn you a special York River State Park Junior Ranger badge! If you have completed a BINGO sheet, your Junior Ranger journey has already begun. You may apply completed BINGO activities to the activities found in the self-guided activity book.

So, what are you waiting for? Head out to York River today and learn about all the wonderful flora and fauna found here at this beautiful Virginia State Park.