LOCALadk Magazine

Fall Foliage. Elevated. 4 5 M U S E U M D R I V E T U P P E R L A K E , N Y W I L D C E N T E R . O R G LOCALadk 54 pretive signage, created in collaboration with St. Louis-based designer Derek Prior, made of sustainable wood materials that can be laser-etched and rout- ed with new hardware installed in The Wild Center facilities garage this spring. Need to replace a sign? No problem. The facilities team can remove the sign, plane it down in the workshop, and have a new sign etched and reinstalled in half a day. In addition to the signage, all products used on the Fen Trail are either locally sourced or upcycled. The three-inch wooden balls are sustainably harvested birch. By choosing materials readily available in the region, The Wild Center minimizes the environmental impact of construction while also supporting local businesses and communities. The use of upcycled ma- terials further emphasizes the Center's commitment to sustainability, transforming what might otherwise be waste into functional and educational elements of the trail. But what does an oversized, wooden version of Mousetrap have to do with a natural history museum and science center? You don't need to be an expert on Richard Louv's work to notice how beneficial outdoor play is— especially in today's screen-filled world. Meaningful outdoor experiences benefit children and inspire them to love and care for nature. Studies show that children connected to nature have better health, higher satisfaction with life, and pro-environmental behaviors. Raquette River Roll is just another Wild Center attempt at creating a nature-based on-ramp for a play-based, meaningful outdoor experience. "We have been members of The Wild Center on and off for years," said visitor Jackie Card. "I remember standing around the model of the Wild Walk with my little girls, trying to explain to them what it would look like. We go at least once a year to the museum, al- though times together are now few and far between. Those little girls that gazed around the model are now adults, working in fields that show their love for the environment. Now, my youngest daughter is the last one left to wander the trails with me. Two teenage girls ran up and down this trail twice, only taking out their phones to record a video of the sound of the wooden ball dropping through the different pathways, listening to the birds, looking up at the canopy, swing- ing on the recycled swings. It is a creative and interac- tive trail that held the attention of thirteen-year-olds. There has to be some special award for that, right? " Maybe. But for now, The Wild Center will accept the look on visitors' faces and the sound of laughter as they stumble upon its newest outdoor experience. t

• Cover