Hiking Club @ Mcphee

This past Spring, Big Gumdrop Outdoors got the opportunity to turn our typical afterschool club into a weekly, immersive experience at Wilderness Park. For Quarter 4 of the 2025-2026 LPS School year, we visited Wilderness Park each week with our group of 3rd-5th graders.

We distributed gear bags (with funding provided by Lincoln Center Kiwanis) for the youth to use each week and take home at the end of the quarter. These bags included tools such as binoculars, insect kits, nature journals, and compasses. We used these weekly to explore the park in a hands-on and exploratory way!

Each week, we explored local trails, admired the wildlife around us, and tried new things! Thanks to Lincoln Parks and Recreation, and Nebraska Game and Parks, we got to borrow trail cams and set them up in the park. On these cameras, we were able to watch dozens of different animals that live or visit Wilderness Park. Our favorites were the Great Blue Heron, Wood Ducks, White Tailed Deer, Beavers, Turkeys, and more! See attached photos/videos below of some of our shots.

Another exciting element we learned about in Hiking Club was Wood Ducks and their habitats. We signed a Wood Duck box and installed it off of one of our favorite trails. We got to visit this often and see what animals were nearby!

A special thank you to Justin Fearing (Mcphee CLC), Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Nebraska Game and Parks, Lincoln Center Kiwanis, and our club leader Jess Callahan, for making this club such a success. We are excited to host Hiking Club again this Fall at Mcphee Elementary!

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