The youngest park visitors are invited to earn their official Junior Ranger Badges at Lone Pine State Park from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 30.

Junior Ranger Day will include nature activities encouraging children to get in touch with their senses, see if they can jump farther than a mountain lion and learn about Montana’s state parks.

The guided activities are recommended for children ages 5 to 11.

A second Junior Ranger Day will be held at Wayfarers State Park from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 6.

It will include a guided hike through the park at 1 p.m. along with bird watching, games and crafts.

Both events are free and open to the public.

The passport program will be available, free of charge, to children and families at any time from the Flathead Lake Ranger Station.

The passport guides kids and families in exploring the Flathead Lake State Park Units, with rewards for completing sections. Come to the Ranger Station, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday, to pick up your passport.

For more information, contact Anna Dudley at 406-837-3041 or by email at flatheadpark.americorps@gmail.com

North Shore group holds fundraiser

The Community Association for North Shore Conservation is holding a gala art fundraiser at Venue 45 in Bigfork on Friday, July 29.

The organization is working to restore the North Shore of Flathead Lake in response to a bridge connecting the shoreline to Dockstader Island.

The organization is currently suing Flathead County commissioners for permitting the bridge.

For more information or to RSVP, email CANSCflathead@gmail.com.

Wilderness group tours Bull River

Join the Montana Wilderness Association on Saturday, July 30, for a free tour across a ecological bridge spanning the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness and the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

The pristine Bull River Valley is a connective corridor with a broad range of habitat components enabling wildlife to exist and migrate between rugged wildernesses.

The group will visit several field sites to study vegetation, habitat types, predator-prey relationships, wildlife biology, history and fire ecology.

The wildlife focus will be on bighorn sheep, bears, elk, wolverines, fisher, Canadian lynx, waterfowl and birds of prey.

The hike’s difficulty rating is “moderate” and covers four miles with minimal elevation gain.

Binoculars are recommended.

The group will meet at the intersection of Montana 56 and the South Fork Bull River Road, about 17 miles south of Troy.

For more information, email asouth@wildmontana.org.

Youth hike on the Whitefish Trail

Whitefish Legacy Partners will host a free, guided youth hike this morning on the Whitefish Trail from 10 a.m. to noon.

Kids will learn to sketch objects found in nature during this guided hike. Techniques such as shadowing and perspective will be taught by local artists. All art materials are provided and this outing is geared towards children aged 8 to 12 years old.

Children under the age of 6 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The group will meet at Lion Mountain Trailhead and take a half-mile hike to the Whitefish Trail Learning Pavilion.

For more information, contact Alan Myers-Davis at 406-862-3880 or by email at alan@whitefishlegacy.org.