CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK, Calif. – The 2011 Junior Ranger program, designed especially for children 7 to 12 years of age, will be inaugurated in the new Education Pavilion in the park on Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m.

The program is open to the children of the community and park campers. Children should arrive at the pavilion a little before 10 a.m. so that a full hour can be devoted to each session. In general, each program lasts approximately one hour.

Following the June 18 launch, Junior Rangers will meet in the pavilion Wednesday through Saturday at 10 a.m., from June 22 through Labor Day weekend. Maybe a child can attend only a few of the sessions. That is OK. Each session is complete in itself.

What can children expect? Each session will be different, with the June 18 session being devoted to mammals. What makes a mammal? What characteristic do mammals share with birds? How do mammals fit into our world?

With passion for the natural world and working with children, park staff will lead each fun and educational session. Children can look forward to learning to use binoculars and microscopes. They will observe the creek’s surface and then investigate what is beneath the surface. There will be an age-oriented introduction of ecology and geology.

This program offers children a summer of discovery. It is an opportunity to discover the outdoors, blast into the past, learn recreational safety tips, and receive recognition for their efforts. If families travel, season logbooks can be taken from park to park to complete the program or children can complete the program here.

This is an opportunity for children to be a part of a program created just for them and a program wherein parents can encourage their children to have a great summer learning about nature and people of the past.