Kids get close to urban nature with Japanese Gulch scavenger hunt

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, August 16, 2011

MUKILTEO — Erik and Owen Riddell were doing well at this scavenger hunt.

Their mother read from a list and the boys — ages 4 and 2 — searched the surrounding area.

“A giant leaf plant,” said Robin Riddell, who lives in Everett.

It only took seconds for Erik to yell, “There!”

pointing to a leaf at the side of the trail.

Their scavenger hunt was just beginning, but they already had found a flower, a pine cone and a thistle at the lower trail Monday morning. The scavenger hunt was set up by the Japanese Gulch Youth group, a nonprofit that promotes awareness of the area.

In total, the scavenger hunt had about 20 things for kids to find within a quarter of a mile.

To prove that they found the items, the kids took turns snapping pictures with the help of their mother.

After each discovery, they got closer to examine what they found.

One time, Erik got too close.

“I found the animal hole — I’m stuck in (it),” Erik said, one leg sticking inside the hole by the trail.

At the end, the only things they could not find was a mushroom and a bird.

“It was fun. For the kids it was perfect,” Riddell said. “It was stuff they could find.”

The group is planning more activities in the future.

The scavenger hunt was organized by 11-year old Anushri Ramanath, who wanted to involve more children and teenagers with the work to save the Japanese Gulch from development. That’s why she created the youth group eight months ago; it now has about 50 members.

She decided to hold a scavenger hunt because it’s a fun activity for children. She wanted the participants to take pictures because it was more environmentally friendly than hiding things in the wetlands.

“The animal may eat them and a picture can be kept for the future,” Anushri said.

At the end, all the children received either a small toy, a T-shirt or candy as a prize for participating.

About 20 people showed up early in the day and finished in about half an hour. Two of them were Misty Ducharme and her 9-year old daughter, Lauryn, of Everett.

“It was fun and we did something different where we are not in front of something,” said Ducharme, adding that it’s better than watching television or looking at the computer.

It was the first time the mother and daughter visited the trail, but it won’t be the last. They may even bring more people, Ducharme said.

“I liked going on the trail and seeing new things,” Lauryn said.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.