Creepy Critters at the DFNWR

Back in early October my mom, kids, and I went to the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge to check out the visitor center and Lake Lowell sights. They were advertising an event on October 27th called "Creepy Critters" which was a fun, educational, pre-Halloween themed event at the Visitor Center. The deal breaker was being able to see live owls and for my 5 year-old daughter that was a dream come true!

Shlomo was working at Linder Farms for their final weekend, so I was able to get both of my parents to come along with us. My dad use to hunt at the Refuge many years ago and like my mom, had not actually gone there as a visitor. The extra help was nice because the kids were given candy at this event and well, their sugar highs were pretty epic.

Children were encouraged to dress up and so my kids chose wildlife themes for their costumes. We had a swan, snowy owl, and two bats.

Cute lil' critters! 

The Refuge had the event centered around a mini-scavenger hunt. Each child was given a map and for each station they attended a stamp was placed on their map. For a completed map, the child received a Junior Deer Flat NWR manager badge.

The first stop was a snake station. The kids got to look at snakes from our area and learn about them. It was starting to rain, so the snakes were not allowed to come out of their terrarium because it was too cold. 

Creepy!

The stations were arranged around the Refuge's nature path, a 1/4 mile hike that takes you around the scrub brush, down to the lake, and back to the center. It was chilly, a little rainy, but fun. This was suppose to be a creepy hike, so the rain was very fitting.

Down the path on the creeeepy nature hike.

The next stations, the kids were able to explore bats and other predators native to our area. Ezra was Mr. Know-It-All and was happily answering all their questions about predators. He is very interested in science and animals, so this was right up his alley!

Candy...creepy critters... spooky hike... 

The final station outside were the owls. Oh wow, Miss Zippy was beyond herself with excitement  These owls  were rescued for one reason or another. They had a great horned owl, Merlin and another little owl named Copper. The kids got to inspect a hands on exhibit of owl wings and feet, plus the station attendants were very engaging with all the kids and their questions. 

Merlin

Copper

The kids with Grandpa and Merlin the great horned owl. 

After the spooky, creepy hike around the Refuge inside were more activities for the kids. The Nampa Public Library sponsored a spooky story time for the kids. There were also crafts for the kids to make and one more very, creepy critter station. 

Ugh!

Scorpions, hissing cockroaches, and big spiders. Ick! I pet the hissing cockroach and showed the kids that they are not terribly creepy. They would not even dare to touch it. We also looked at scorpions and the tarantula. I hate spiders, so I tried masking my utter disgust. 

We stayed through to the end of the event so the kids could call for owls and howl for coyotes and then earn their Junior Wildlife manager badge. They really enjoyed earning their badge and have kept it on their coats all week. 

Creepy Critters is a yearly event at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge held the weekend before Halloween. Hours for the event is 4-6:30 P.M. come rain or shine! The educational slant to the event would make it a great activity for people who might not want their kids to take part in Halloween tricks or treats. Dressing up is optional, having fun is mandatory! 

The Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge is located at 13751 Upper Embankment Road, Nampa Idaho at the intersections of Indiana and Roosevelt Avenues. This event is special hours and occurs outside of the regular DFNWR hours. 

Lake Lowell during the Spooky Hike

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Site. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of 

Interior, Oct. 2012. 4 Nov. 2012.