Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center 2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Phone: 952-854-5900 |
Boy Scouts |
Requirements filled according to the 2004 Boy Scout Requirements. Numbers correspond with merit badge requirements.
Tenderfoot Rank Requirements
11. Identify local poisonous plants; tell how to treat for exposure to them.
Hike the trails at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to identify local poisonous plants. Visit the
Bloomington Visitor Center's Blufftop Bookshop to learn about how to treat them.
Second Rank Requirements
5. Identify or show evidence of at least 10 kinds of wild animals (birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, mollusks) found in your community.
Visit Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to find and identify at least ten types of wild animals. Make sure to bring a journal and/or camera to document the plants that you find. Remember to take only photographs, leave only footprints.
First Class Rank Requirements
6. Identify or show evidence of at least 10 kinds of native plants found in your community.
Visit Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to find and identify at least ten types of native plants. Make sure to bring a journal and/or camera to document the animals or evidence that you find. Remember to take only photographs, leave only footprints.
Art
1. Participate in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Art and Conservation Program.
Learn about waterfowl and wetland habitat conservation while visiting the Visitor Center then articulate
your newfound knowledge by drawing, painting or sketching a picture of a North American waterfowl
species. For more information or to participate, For more information or to participate, contact the
Minnesota State Coordinator, Federal Junior Duck Stamp Coordinator at 952/854-5900.
3. Visit one of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Centers. Hike a trail and chose a view to record in an art medium.
6. Explore the trails at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to find a subject for your art.
Bird Study
2. Visit the wildlife viewing area or exhibits at one of the visitor centers to sketch or trace a perched bird. Use the field guides at the wildlife viewing are help you label 15 different parts of the bird and the 6 types of wing feathers.
3. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge's Visitor Centers has binoculars for you to borrow. In addition, use the spotting scope available.
5. Look for birds in the wetland, prairie, and forest habitats near the visitor centers. Bring a field guide along to help identify them. A list of common birds on the Refuge is available from the information desk.
6. Visit one of the visitor center's wildlife viewing area to listen to the cd's Birding by Ear to learn how to identify 5 birds by their call. Then hike on the trails to identify those bird calls you learned. You can also borrow our Song Bird Trail Pack to learn the calls while hiking along the Hillside Trail at the Bloomington Visitor Center.
7. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge offers many birding trips throughout the year. Please check our Calendar of Events, or call the Visitor Center at 952/854-5900 to find upcoming programs.
8. Contact the Refuge to find out information on habitat improvement projects for birds on the Refuge by calling either the Bloomington Visitor Center, 952/854-5900, or Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 952/361-4500.
Cycling
6. There are cycling trails on Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Contact the
Bloomington Visitor Center, 952/854-5900, or
Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 952/361-4500 for information about which trails are open and to get a trail map.
Disability Awareness
6. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge's Visitor Centers and grounds were
created to be accessible to as many people as possible. The Youth Pond fishing pier, 2 miles of
trails at the Long Meadow Lake Unit, Bass Ponds Trailhead, and the visitor centers
are all accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. Compare the visitor centers to other public areas.
Talk to a volunteer or staff member if you have any suggestions on how to make the visitor centers more
accessible to everyone.
Environmental Science
3. Background information for the following experiments can be found in Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge's
Bloomington Visitor Center.
(a) Ecology
(1) Explore the exhibits "They Thrive on Fire" and "Burning Issue" to learn how fire affects prairie and forest ecosystems.
(c) Water Pollution
(1) Explore the "River Channel" exhibits to learn about water pollution.
5. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge has many areas to conduct your outdoor study.
(a) Contact a staff member before starting to conduct your study plots. Make sure you follow the directions the staff member gives you for marking off your plots.
(b) Visit Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to find a study area. Keep a journal of your four observations at your study plot.
8. Explore the "Wildlife Managers" exhibit at the Bloomington Visitor Center to learn about some people that have worked in the environmental science field. Watch one of the videos about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to learn what we are doing to help wildlife. Interview a volunteer or staff member about how they work with the environment.
Fish and Wildlife Management
1. At Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Centers watch one of the
videos about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to learn the meaning and purpose of fish and wildlife
conservation and management. Walk through the exhibits to learn about many types of conservation and
management practices conducted on the Refuge.
2. Explore the "Burning Issue", "River Channel" and "The Problem with Imports" exhibits to learn about environmental problems at the Bloomington Visitor Center.
3. Go on our Take the Tour program to learn about efforts to help wildlife. Talk to a staff member or volunteer about things you can do in your own yard to help wildlife, such as putting up bird boxes, planting wild flowers and trees, and recycling.
4. Go on our Take the Tour to learn about wildlife management practices being used at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Also explore one of the visitor centers or talk to a staff member or volunteer for more information about things going on around the Refuge.
5. (a) Visit the Blufftop Bookshop in the Bloomington Visitor Center for bluebird and wren house kits. Ask at the information desk for instructions on how to make a bluebird or wren box.
6. (a) Observe 25 species of wildlife on the Refuge. Bring field guides and binoculars (or borrow some from the information desk) to help you identify the different animals that you observe. Try looking in a variety of habitats to find different kinds of wildlife. Also look for animal signs such as homes, tracks, or scat.
Fishing
7. Contact Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 952/854-5900 or www.fws.gov/midwest/MinnesotaValley/fishing.html to inquire about the fishing opportunities on the Refuge.
Forestry
1. The trails around the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Centershave many tree and shrub species that you can identify. Be sure to bring a field identification book along. Ask a staff member or volunteer at the information desk to show you where you can see succession happening.
2. (b) Walk along the trails and look for stumps to observe. You may want to sketch or photograph the ring pattern. It may be interesting to research weather patterns for past years and try to determine which rings correspond to years with droughts or good rainfall.
3. (b) Look at the "River Channel" exhibit in the Bloomington Visitor Center to learn about local water supplies.
7. (a) Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge has many volunteer opportunities available to help in the management of our forests. Inquire with our volunteer coordinator, at 952/854-5900 or at the information desk for more information.
Hiking
5. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge has many hiking trails available. Inquire at one of the visitor centers or on the visitor centers page for more information.
6. Ask the information desk the Bloomington Visitor Center about hiking a 20-mile loop through the Long Meadow Lake Unit and Fort Snelling State Park. Another choice is hiking on the Louisville Swamp Unit and the connecting Minnesota Valley State Trail, which runs through this unit.
Mammal Study
3. (a) Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge has many different habitats available to study including wetlands, prairies, and forests.
3. (b) There are over 50 different mammals that live on the Refuge, but many may be difficult to view. Walk the trails and look for mammal signs such as homes, food remains, scat, or tracks. You may want to research the different types of mammals found in this area so you will have an idea of what to look for. You may want to bring a field guide to help you identify what you see.
3. (c) Use the field guides at the wildlife viewing area in the Bloomington Visitor Center to research a native non-game mammal and write a sample history of the mammal.
4. (b) There are many excellent places to photograph mammals on the Refuge. Inquire about some of these places from the information desk at Bloomington Visitor Center, 952/854-5900, or Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 952/361-4500.
4. (c) Use the field guides at the wildlife viewing area in the Bloomington Visitor Center to research a native game mammal and write a life history of the mammal.
4. (f) The Blufftop Bookshop in the Bloomington Visitor Center has many interesting books on mammals for you to enjoy.
Nature
4. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge has numerous areas for you to
study birds, mammals, insects, spiders, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, plants, soil, and rocks. Contact the
Bloomington Visitor Center, 952/854-5900, or
Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 952/361-4500, for specific places to find all of this in nature.
Reptiles and Amphibians
1. Use the field guides to identify characteristics of six reptiles species and four species of amphibians in the United States. Observe these species on the Refuge. You might want to study reptiles and amphibians that live in your local area. This will make it easier to identify them in the field.
6. There are 11 different species of snakes on the Refuge. Hike the trails to observe one of these species.
Soil and Water Conservation
4. Observe the "River Channel" exhibits in the
Bloomington Visitor Center to learn about watersheds and river basins at the Visitor Center.
6. Observe the "River Channel" exhibits Bloomington Visitor Center to learn about water pollution at the Visitor Center.
7. (a) (3) Visit Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge to observe and learn some of the soil, water, and energy conservation practices being used on the Refuge.
William T. Hornady Awards
Complete the required merit badges. Many of them can be worked on at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Centers.
World Conservation Award
This award can be worked on at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
