River Rangers buckets were showcased at the Kids Trout fishing day on the Mayo River Trail. The buckets are now available for budding ecologists to explore life in the river. They contain everything needed to catch and identify macroinvertebrates from the river bottom. The buckets can be found near the little free library on the Mayo River Trail.
Borrow them, explore the river and return for other ecologists to use. Many interested children stopped by the table to learn about how macroinvertebrates are indicators of the health of the Mayo River. The excitement of catching trout and learning about macros overshadowed the windy, chilly day.
The River Ranger program was developed by Rebecca Adcock, director of Patrick County Chamber of Commerce, and funded by an Eco Ambassador grant through the Dan River Basin Association. The kits were assembled by Southwest Piedmont Virginia Master Naturalists Julie Currier and Norma Bozenmayer, and the kiosk rack for the buckets was built by Kurt Bozenmayer.
Plans are being made to expand this program to other parks. For more information on River Rangers, email director@patrickchamber.com.
