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Coronado National Memorial now offers a Junior
Cave Scientist program at the park. Kids can complete
a booklet and explore Coronado Cave to earn their Ju-
nior Cave Scientist badge.
Park staff are looking for young speleologists to
become junior rangers. In the Junior Cave Scientist
activity book, you will explore the fascinating and
fragile underground world of caves, learn about the
National Park System, and complete fun educational
activities. Participants who complete the booklet will
earn a badge, a certificate, and the rank of Junior Cave
Scientist.
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FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015
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The Junior Cave Scientist Program is a part of the make sure there are always parks to visit in the future.
They learn things they can do in the parks, and things
goal of the Junior Ranger Program is to connect young they can do when they return home. When they have
people to their national parks through a variety of in- completed their activity booklets, children are sworn
park activities that are designed to introduce them to in as a Junior Ranger and receive a badge, patch, and
the national park system and cultivate future genera- certificate. Each year 450,000 children become Junior
tions of park stewards. Rangers.
Programs range from simple scavenger hunts for The Junior Ranger program is designed for visi-
younger children, to multi-day ranger-led activities. tors between the ages of 5 and 12. You can pick up an
Over 200 National Park Service areas currently have activity book at the visitor center. There are multiple
Junior Ranger programs. To learn more about NPS Ju- activities to choose from, with subjects ranging from
nior Ranger programs, visit http://www.nps.gov/kids/ Coronado’s Expedition to the cave, a nature walk, visi-
jrRangers.cfm. tor center displays and more.
Are you unable to travel to the park but still want Plan your visit to Coronado Cave online at http://
to be a Junior Ranger? Visit the Webranger page at www.nps.gov/coro/planyourvisit/coronado-cave.htm.
http://www.nps.gov/coro/learn/kidsyouth/webrang-
ers.htm to learn how to become a Junior Ranger from To get to the Coronado Cave trailhead drive toward
home. the visitor center on East Montezuma Canyon Rd. Ap-
proximately .25 mile west of the visitor center on the
Coronado National Memorial staff believe the fu- north side of the road is the parking area for the trail.
ture stewardship of our park is of the utmost impor- It is .5 mile to the cave entrance with an elevation gain
tance. A Junior Ranger is an explorer. A Junior Ranger of 500 feet. Some light scrambling over slick rocks is
is a learner, and this type of learning is informal and required to descend to the cave floor. This hike is rated
fun. A Junior Ranger is a protector of the national as moderate to moderately strenuous.
parks.
(Editor’s note: This information was compiled from
Junior Rangers discover things they can do to help multiple National Park Service websites.)