Bollinger County Museum Monthly Friday Evening Program   On Friday, July 16, 2010, the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History will host our First Annual Family Fun Night for all ages. Bring the whole family and enjoy a variety of games, a fossil dig, silent auction, scavenger hunt, a movie, and much more. The Museum will be open from 6-8PM. This is all part of the Museum’s Friday Night at the Museum Program. THIS PROGRAM IS FREE. Phone 573/238-1174 or email bcmnh@sbcglobal.net Return to Directory

Educational Summer Camps

This summer The Bollinger County Museum is offering 5 different Educational Camps.  The second of these camps, June 28-July 2, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils is for students going in to the 4th, 5th, or 6th grade this fall.  The topic for this camp will be Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils. 

The students will learn about the rock cycle, types of rocks and minerals, why they are important, how fossils are formed, and much more!  Class size is limited so sign up early!  The registration deadline for this camp is Monday, June 21.   Camp will run from 1 to 4 PM, Monday through Friday.   ??Cost:  $25.00 per child for the 5 day camp.??For more information call or to register please call 573/238-1174 or send us an email at bcmnh@sbcglobal.net.

June 28-July 2:   Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils      Grades 4-6        (minimum 5 - maximum 16 students)?
July 19-23:         Weather          Grades 5-8        (minimum 5  - maximum 16 students)?
July 26-30:         Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Etc.         Grades 7-9   (minimum 5 - maximum 16 students)?
August 2-6:        Forests of Missouri           Grades 2-3   (minimum 5 - maximum 12 students)??

Pre-registration is required by a week before the first day of each camp. ???Camps will run from 1 to 4 PM    Monday-Friday

Cost:  $25.00 per child for each 5 day camp.??

For more information call or to register please call 573/238-1174 or send us an email at bcmnh@sbcglobal.net.

Make This Your Summer for Local Outdoor Adventure!

By JD Tanner & Emily Ressler

Missouri and Illinois are full of outdoor adventures just waiting to happen, and we are going to provide you with a series of some of our favorite places to visit and things to do.  We’re not going to mess around either, so let’s start things off with a classic.  The Whispering Pines Trail in Hawn State Park is a must do for your Summer of Outdoor Adventure.

The hike: You have three hiking options here.  The 6-mile North Loop (well marked with red arrows) begins at the trailhead.  The 4-mile South Loop (actually totals about 6 miles after hiking the connector trail that gets you there and back) is marked with blue arrows and requires a connecting trail that you come across after a short hike on the North Loop.  The third option is a 10-mile North to South Loop combination.

All three of the trails offer hikes along bluffs, strolls through beautiful pine forests, and amazing views of the Ozarks.  The North Loop hikes along Pickle Creek for a few miles, which offers plenty of places to take a break and cool off.  The South Loop parallels the River Aux Vases for a short distance and offers the same as Pickle Creek.  Both trails are well signed and maintained.  There are a few rocky sections of trail and a few areas where the trail can be steep, but nothing too dangerous or physically demanding.
Hawn State Park does offer camping ($13 basic & $21 electric during the on-season), showers, restrooms, drinking water, and picnic areas.

Tips:  1) Most people average about 2 miles per hour on trail.  Doing the math, figure about 3 to 4 hours for either loop and 7 to 8 hours for the 10-mile loop.  2) Always hike with the 10 essentials; map, compass, sunglasses/sunscreen, extra food and water, extra clothes, headlamp/flashlight, first aid kit, fire starter, matches, and knife.  3) An ideal amount of water for these hikes is NO LESS than 2 liters per person.  4) As is always the case in Missouri, be aware of poisonous snakes, mosquitoes, ticks, and poison ivy.  

Getting there: from Cape Girardeau, take I-55 north to exit 150.  Turn left onto MO-32 towards Farmington.  After about 12 miles, turn left again onto MO-144 (you will see a sign for Hawn State Park).  Drive about 3 miles until you reach the end of MO-144 and turn left onto Park Drive.  Follow Park Drive into the park, past the park office (on your right), and down a semi-steep hill.  Reach a Y in the road and stay right towards the signed hiking trailheads.  Whispering Pines Trail parking is on the right.

Bike Ride

by Allen Gathmen

This year’s Advance Winter Loop was full of surprises. The first one was in the parking lot of Cape Bike — I was chatting with a few early arrivals when a guy pulls up in a pickup truck, walks over, and says “Hi, I’m Ron.” I was thinking he looked familiar; with good reason. He’s Ron Rosati, the new provost of Southeast, and indirectly my boss. So that was nice, and he seemed to have a good time, and it was a chance to get to know him a bit.

Meanwhile, more people arrived, and we loaded up the bikes and drove out to Dutchtown. The second surprise was that there was barely parking place available in Dutchtown anywhere. The bait shop parking lot was full, the dirt road next to it was lined with cars, and more cars with bikes on them were pulling in. The most riders we ever had in the previous three years was 14 in 2008 (see post). This year we had 48.

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Cowards Hollow
by Mark Cozart of Neelyville

Finally, the place that has haunted my dreams and taunted me in my waking hour has been found.  Cowards Hollow Natural Area has been an obsession since the beginning of winter and I, because of a friend who found the cascade, got to see it in person in early March.  I have been told, erroneously, that I would not be impressed once I saw the waterfall with my own eyes.  I kept telling myself that I wanted to see if even if I would not be impressed.  " I want to find it, no matter what it looks like and what it doesn't" I kept saying to myself.

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