This fun-filled event for all ages is free with paid admission to Fossil Rim!

Party for the Planet in Your Backyard
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April 22 – Party for the Planet – It’s a conservation celebration! Is your family wildlife friendly? Then head to Fossil Rim this Earth Day to celebrate the wonders of our planet. Learn how simple conservation efforts can make a remarkable difference to wildlife in your own backyard and beyond.

Party for the Planet will include fun, family events that encourage discovery! These engaging activities include building toad abodes, making origami frogs, nature walks, and more. This event is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s “Conservation Made Simple” public education campaign that encourages families to learn about and conserve the planet. All ages welcome. 8:30am - 6:00pm (individual activity times may vary).

Activities will be available at the Front Gate and at the Overlook. Free with admission to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. No reservations necessary. For more information call 254-897-2960 ext. 312 or email cherylj@fossilrim.org.

At the Admissions Center, you’ll be given a schedule of what’s happening and where, and an activity guide to help you discover the natural wonders of our world while visiting Fossil Rim’s 91⁄2-mile scenic drive-through. Be sure to stop at the Overlook, which is the half-way point on the drive. At the Overlook you’ll learn how simple conservation efforts can make a remarkable difference to wildlife in your own backyard – and beyond – through fun, family events that encourage discovery!

A variety of discovery centers will be available. At “Build a Toad Abode,” you can create your very own toad abode to take home and place in your backyard in hopes that a toad or frog moves in. “Biodiversity in Your Backyard” will give you the chance to test your observation skills while searching for backyard animals in an area that resembles their natural habitat. The observation skills that are developed will help you to know how to look for wildlife in your own backyard. Learn the Japanese art of origami at “Origami Frogs” as you change a piece of paper into your very own frog friend. Look closely to see what message your frog reveals! You can learn ways to protect wildlife today, especially those that live in backyards, at the “Chipmunk Masks” activity center. On each mask, the attached postcard shares important ways to help wildlife – take it home and mail it to someone special to share what you’ve learned.

The “Backyard Habitats” information center will have handouts available on how you can create backyard habitats that help wildlife. Visit the “Backyard Arthropods” display to get a close-up view of live arthropods and to learn about some of the insects and arachnids that you might find in your backyard. At “What’s In Your Backyard?” a Fossil Rim Educator will lead you down the Nature Trail, pointing out plants and animals that might be found right in your own neighborhood. Your Educator will also show you what to look for to determine which animals might have been visiting your area.

This event is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Conservation Made Simple public education campaign that encourages families to learn about and conserve the planet. Over 120 organizations are participating in Party for the Planet, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is proud to be one of them! For more information please visit our website.