The innovative Virtual Park Ranger is this month’s First Monday Update topic. Scott Reed learns more about it with guests Alan Dennis and Stephen Ward, multimedia and visual technology designers from Extension and Experiment Station Communications.
The Virtual Park Ranger will be a way for everyone to learn about and engage with the outdoors in a relatable, customizable and real-time way. Extension experts are anticipated to play a key role in providing information about our natural environment.
The VPR team is partnering with Outdoor School to pilot the project in outdoor school locations. If you work with youth and the outdoors, Alan and Stephen would like to explore how the Virtual Park Ranger can be adapted to generate enthusiasm for outdoor spaces.
Share one or more of your favorite outdoor places in the comment section below. Who knows, your favorite might be considered for a must see list on the Virtual Park Ranger!
Let’s start in our own back yard! I live in south-town Corvallis and frequently walk along the river trail (as do many families). There are many plants and animals (birds in particular) that I would love to be able to identify and know more about. Having your app to help would be great!
Great idea, Rita! We’ll pass it along to Alan and Stephen.
I’d love to see this sort of “Nature-mon Go” at Champoeg State Park. Champoeg is a rich site full of Native and settler history, historic floods, and wildlife. It’s a popular site for one-day visitors and campers alike.
https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=79
Washington County Parks and Recreation would like us to provide some youth and adult education or interpretive work along paths at the Hagg Lake Skoggins Park area which is stepping up development and facilities for more public use and activities. This sounds interesting and
might be a good place to start in the metro area?
Sounds worth exploring Vicki! Thanks for including it.
Fantastic! Let’s do a second generation app for Master Naturalists!
Wonderful! Could you consider farms who welcome visitors to their natural areas?