Kids in Parks program launching in Prineville

Starting this month, Prineville families will have new resources to encourage children to learn and explore outdoors through the launch of the Kids in Parks program.

Three trails and parks have been designated as TRACK trails in Prineville, including the Barnes Butte trail system, the Crooked River Wetlands Complex, and Rimrock Park.

Now, when kids and families visit these places, there will be options for self-guided activities, which encourage children to take a closer look at nature and learn about the plants and animals that live there. Families can then track their adventures online at the Kids in Parks website (www.kidsinparks.com) to receive free prizes in the mail.

These TRACK trails are part of a national network that spans 10 states across the country. The Prineville TRACK trails are the first to be established in Oregon.

The Children’s Forest of Central Oregon is spearheading the project, with support from many community partners including the City of Prineville, Crook County Park and Recreation District, Ochoco National Forest, Crook County On-the-Move, Barnes Butte Elementary School, and others. The project was primarily funded by a grant from the Central Oregon Health Council to support cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention in youth.

Later this summer, the program will expand to include TRACK Rx, where local health care providers can prescribe time outdoors to their patients, using the Kids in Parks program.

” We’re hopeful that health care providers can help to motivate children to be more active and experience all of the benefits that being outdoors provides. The Kids in Parks program provides something fun and accessible for families to do together, and is something that health care providers can easily refer their patients to participate in, ” says Katie Chipko , Executive Director for the Children’s Forest of Central Oregon.

There will be a small ribbon cutting ceremony at the Barnes Butte TRACK trail on Friday, June 7 with 5 th grade students from Barnes Butte Elementary School. Students will participate in a “walk with a Doc” with Dr. Morrision from Mosaic Medical. The students helped to develop some of the self-guided activities for that trail.

The Children’s Forest of Central Oregon will also offer family programs throughout the summer to raise awareness about the TRACK trails with local families. There are also two TRACK trails opening in Madras on June 22 at the M-Hill trail and Willow Creek trail.

For families that want to participate in the program, they can visit www.kidsinparks.com to get information about the TRACK trails and directions to each location. Activity brochures can be picked up at each TRACK trail location, at the newly installed kiosks.

“Our hope is that this becomes a community resource that families can use for years to come to build healthy habits with their children and to develop a deeper appreciation of the outdoors,” Chipko shares.

For more information contact Katie Chipko , Children’s Forest of Central Oregon Executive Director at (541) 383-5592 or katie@childrensforestco.org .