TRIAL OF TEARS STATE PARK: NIGHT WALKS, ACTIVITIES PLART OF SUMMER PROGRAM

Folk music concerts, owl prowls and walks in the night are a few activities Trail of Tears State Park staff hope will entice visitors this summer.

The park's summer program runs through July 20, and a number of educational environmental activities are scheduled for local and visiting nature lovers. More than 30 events are scheduled this summer.

Park naturalist Denise Dowling hopes to attract more local visitors to the park's summer program, which are open to everyone. However, the majority of the participants are people camping in the park.

"I don't think a lot of the local people realize we do these types of programs, so most of the people who come are local campers," Dowling said. "There's so many local people that say it's been 20 years since they've been here, and I think once they come and rediscover the park they'll really appreciate it.

Summer program activities on nature-related topics are held Friday nights, Saturday mornings and evenings, and Sunday mornings. They begin with a short lecture in the Visitor's Center. Most average between one and three hours long.

"We have a wide variety of nature topics for the entire family," Dowling said. "Some of the hikes and more intense training experiences won't allow younger children to participate, but usually our only restriction is that kids 12 and under be accompanied by an adult."

Gloria Jenkins, a member of the AmeriCorps environmental team, works in the park as a tour guide during the summer. Part of her job is to educate people about the folklore and facts surrounding the lives of Native Americans.

"I try to get people to relate to their lives by telling stories and the history of the Native Americans," Jenkins said. "We just try to get people to understand everything that they went through."

Dowling said the night walks were the most popular program last summer, but there are a variety of activities scheduled both inside and outdoors. Some of the programs require special equipment so that participants can better enjoy the activity.

"The night activities, like the astronomy programs and night hikes, are always popular," Dowling said. "There's a folk music concert scheduled on June 14, and a live bird program from St. Louis scheduled during July. We have a little something for everybody."

Trail of Tears State Park

Summer Program List 1997

May 30 8:30 p.m. Introduction to Missouri State Parks

May 31 9:00 a.m. Bears in Missouri: Are they returning?

May 31 8:30 p.m. Eyes in the Night

-- flashlights required

June 1 9:00 a.m. Adventure Sunday: Creek Hike

-- wading shoes, etc.

June 6 8:30 p.m. Astronomy program

June 7 9:00 a.m. Wescoat Picnic/Trail Clean-up

-- call for more information

June 7 8:30 p.m. Creatures of the night

June 8* 9:00 a.m. Adventure Sunday: Quarry Hike

-- rigorous hike (water)

June 13 8:30 p.m. The Coming of Darkness: Bats in the Night

June 14 9:00 a.m. T.O.T. Natural Area Hike

-- rigorous hike (water)

June 14 7:30 p.m. Folk Music Concert

-- call for more information

June 15 9:00 a.m. Frisbee Golf

June 20 8:30 p.m. Spider Sniff

June 21 9:00 a.m. The Life Cycle of a Tree

-- hike

June 21* 8:30 p.m. A Walk in the Moonlight

-- hike

June 22 9:00 a.m. Solar Printmaking

June 27 8:30 p.m. Fishing Success at T.O.T.S.P.

June 28 9:00 a.m. To Be Announced

-- call for more information

June 28 8:30 p.m. Missouri's Other Squirrel: Night Gliders

June 29 9:00 a.m. Wet and Wild: Missouri's Wetlands

-- wading shoes, etc.

July 4 7:00 p.m. Indian Myths and Legends

July 5 9:00 a.m. Patriotic Sidewalk Art

July 5 7:00 p.m. World Bird Sanctuary -- Live Bird Program

-- call for more information

July 6 9:00 a.m. Stream Diversity

-- may get wet

July 11 8:30 p.m. Owl Prowl

July 12 9:00 a.m. Critters in Danger: Missouri Endangered Species

July 12 8:30 p.m. Flashlight Egg Hunt

-- flashlights required

July 13 9:00 a.m. Lewis and Clark Adventure

July 18 8:30 p.m. Exotic Species: What to Do?

July 19 9:00 a.m. "Casting" Obstacle Course

-- bring rods, if possible

July 19* 8:30 p.m. A Walk in the Night Woods

-- flashlights, etc.

July 20 9:00 a.m. On the Wing: Birds in Missouri

-- field guide, binoculars