MK Nature Center - Family Education
by BookwormCDA on 01/16/08 at 1:43 am
Located near downtown Boise on the Boise River Greenbelt, the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center provides a rich educational experience on the area’s native wildlife habitat.
The center opened in 1990 and today is owned and run by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The MK Nature Center is open to the public and offers tours for local organizations and schools.Located inside the center, visitor’s will find several different rotating exhibits where they can read and hear more about different wildlife, and even play some educational games. These exhibits also feature a wide range of preserved wildlife for visitors to look at and read about. One exhibit had at one time been specific bats in the area and even offered directions to take home and make a bat habitat for your backyard.
After making the rounds inside visitors can stroll along walkways and streams to see plants, birds, and fish that are native to the area. Viewing windows are place at different areas along the stream where you can see trout, whitefish, and other species of fish up close. Interpretive signs are posted all along the outdoor walkways to give you more information about what you are seeing. There is a covered picnic area near the marsh pond that is a great place to enjoy lunch and the geese.
The MK Nature Center offers free admission, (donations are always welcome) with the outdoor area opened year round sunrise to sunset, and the indoor visitor’s center has the following hours:
Mar. 15-Oct. 31: Tues.-Fri., 9am-5pm; Sat.-Sun., 11am-5pm; closed Mon; Nov. 1-Mar. 14: Tues.-Fri., 9am-5pm; closed Sat.-Mon.
For more information on the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center please visit the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/education/mknc/
Address and Directions:
600 S. Walnut, Boise Interstate 84, Broadway exit to Park Blvd., right, following signs to Walnut, right on Walnut to center on left side.
Things to Bring:
- Binoculars
- Camera
- Picnic Lunch
- Stroller
- Warm clothes(if visiting in the winter months)
[...] appointment. Some of the rest of our group had decided to bring lunches and head to nearby Municipal Park for a cool but sunny fall day picnic, which sounded like a lot of fun but this time we had previous [...]