Portage Library hosts National Parks Series with Ranger Valerie Martin

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library is hosting "Junior Ranger Underwater Explorer Family Programs," a series of family programs presented by Isle Royale National Park Ranger Valerie Martin.

Children and their families will discover their National Parks and kids will earn their Junior Ranger Underwater Explorer badge. These programs offer adventures and activities that are suitable for families and kids age five to twelve. Programs include a short presentation followed by hands-on activities. Two more programs will be held this month:

Shipwreck Sleuths -- 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23. Kids will submerge themselves into the chilly waters of Isle Royale National Park to investigate a shipwreck. They will become an underwater archaeologist as they investigate a shipwreck site and examine artifacts. They will also find out if invasive species could affect this piece of history.

During a 2012 family presentation on Isle Royale at Portage Library, Ranger Valerie Martin introduces the concept of invasive species with an entertaining father-son game in which Dad is an invasive zebra mussel. (File video by Keweenaw Now)

Join the Kelp Crew -- 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Kids will descend into the cool waters of California's Channel Islands National Park and discover a forest under the waves. They will become a marine ecologist as they survey the species and determine if the kelp forest is healthy or not.

Valerie Martin has been a National Park Service Ranger and educator for over twenty years. She has spent fifteen summers sharing the wonders of Isle Royale with others.

Library presentations are free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.