The October 15th and 16th Discovery Days came fast this fall with a great response from the Juneau community. Both days were filled with participants! Both days were great for getting outdoors and there were many enthusiastic kids, which made it fun for everyone involved!

Our fall Discovery Days focused on Eaglcrest Ski Area and the important watershed that is found there. This watershed is 5 miles by 5 miles and is largest one on Douglas Island. Both days had the same schedule of events, each with a new batch of people. In the morning, we explored up the mountain. We took a look at Cropley Lake and talked about the marshy slopes. The kids even got to check out the new chairlift and get excited for the snow to start flying!

In the afternoon we continues down the watershed via the Fish Creek Trail. We talked about the power of water and we even saw a trio of eagles flying down the creek. The kids got to explore the creek for aquatic insects and some salmon eggs. We finished up Fish Creek across the road at the estuary where the freshwater meets the saltwater.

In the course of one day, the kids got an idea of how big and how important this watershed is to their community. Traveling all the way from the top at Cropley Lake, down along Fish Creek, and finally to where the river meets the ocean, showed everyone why it is important to understand where our water comes from!

Thank you to all who participated and we look forward to seeing you all at the next Discovery Days!

 Hello Juneau! Discovery Southeast is excited to join the blogging world and bring everyone regular updates on what is going on. We strive to connect people with the nature around them and give people the opportunity to learn in an outdoor environment. The Juneau community has been very active in participating with us and we hope to continue to grow and support the education of this great Alaskan town!

The summer of 2009 brought nine weeks of the Outdoor Explorers kid’s camp! It was a fun and exciting time with plenty of exploration and curiosity among the students. Luckily, the weather was great for the three months(which was a great relief from the previous rainy summer…). The kids learned how to make forts, survive in the wild, and explored glaciers all in their own backyards! The naturalists on hand developed games and educational curriculum for the daily trips, which allowed the kids to link their lives to the nature around them. Discovery Southeast would like to thank all the kids, parents, and naturalists that made the 2009 Outdoor Explorers such a success! We hope to see all of you next summer for another great adventure!

Besides the Outdoor Explorers, we have a variety of programs that include Discovery Days, Nature Studies, and Teacher Training. Links to these and other programs are included under the “learn more” heading. We have also joined Flickr to share pictures with the community and for the people that participate in events. Find us on Facebook as well to view recent pictures. For all of you parents, Outdoor Explorer pictures have been posted at both the Facebook and Flickr!

Again, we are excited to now bring you current updates! Please follow us on our blog and always feel free to contact us at our office. We are always happy to hear from the Juneau community!