Welcome Nature Explorers!

Join a nature club yourself, with your family or a favorite youth you like to spend time with and reap the rewards. This group will encourage families and friends to explore Des Moines and Polk County parks together.

Clubs will meet on a regular basis and will be equipped with monthly tips about which parks would be interesting to visit for special reasons that month. Check out spring’s woodland flowers at Greenwood Park or the lilac arboretum at Ewing Park. Photograph the prairie’s summertime flowers and butterflies at Glendale Cemetery and bundle up for a visit to the Scott Street Bridge or Gray’s Lake to see the bald eagles. While there try to spot signs of beavers at work to build their log homes. Take your binoculars to Easter Lake Park for bird watching or lace up your hiking boots for a winter wonderland woodland hike at Brown's Woods Park.

Club members can learn safety tips too, like poison ivy identification and dressing to stay warm for a cold day of sledding or skating at one of Des Moines’ golf courses or neighborhood park lagoons. Club members will even get book recommendations based on the season, as well as a list of suggested activities.

The Des Moines Park and Recreation Department, Polk County Conservation, Des Moines Public Libraries, Des Moines Area Community College and other partners have joined forces to offer this FREE innovative program. The Friends of Des Moines Parks is sponsoring the new initiative to help families discover the great outdoors together.

For additional events listings from Polk County Conservation visit leadingyououtdoors.org.