Nature Passport

media release: Find locations here: https://www.naturenet.org/nature-passport/

Are you looking for a low-cost family adventure this summer? Nature Net and its member sites are geared up and ready to offer families a unique outdoor experience! Each year, Nature Net lives out its mission of encouraging children and families to get outdoors by producing a “Nature Passport” journal and scavenger hunt. Inspired by the many birds who fill our lives with wonder, this year’s Nature Passport theme is “Birds of the Feather, Flock Together!” 

The Nature Passport is a free and self-guided activity journal inviting children and their families to visit the various Nature Net sites and spend time engaging with the natural world. Each site has a suggested activity for kids to complete and further information about the location. Families may work to complete as many of the nature missions as they can, or simply use their Passport as inspiration for their own nature adventures. Offered in both English and Spanish, Nature Passports is available at Nature Net sites and at local libraries now through the end of summer. As each site has its own unique bird fact to share, there is so much to learn!

With notable indoor sites like the Madison Children’s Museum and Cave of the Mounds, and beautiful outdoor locations like the Mackenzie Center and the Pheasant Branch Conservancy there is somewhere to explore rain or shine. Nature Net Director, Betsy Parker, notes that, “the Nature Passport has always been one of my favorite programs we offer. It can be hard for families to stay creative with activities throughout the summer, so I love that we can provide a pocket-sized tool that inspires adventure and connects people with our local natural and cultural resources ”

Nature Net is a program of the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and works to get families and educators outdoors. This year’s Nature Passport is offered as a free resource thanks to support from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, Wild Birds Unlimited, and The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. Additionally, the UW-Madison Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) assisted in creating the Spanish language version of the Passport. If you would like to get more involved and keep the Nature Passport going for families to come, donations are accepted at naturenet.org.