Frontiers kids learn about outdoors, conservation

Ten-year-old Rebekah Davis likes to find animals and birds in the outdoors. She even named a baby mocking bird after the bird's mother left it on the deck at their St. Peters, Mo., home.

Her brother, 7-year-old Andrew, is more into chasing the animals, snakes and birds. He said he found two garter snakes in the family's backyard. Andrew admits his sister gets along better with wild creatures than he does.

But, one thing Rebekah and Andrew have in common is their enrollment in the Missouri Department of Conservation's Frontiers program. That's a voluntary program that helps kids learn about the outdoors and also work on beneficial conservation projects.

Young Saint Louis.com ran into Rebekah and Andrew last month at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County. They and other new Frontiers members were at Busch earning Frontier points while learning archery.

Although it was Rebekah's first time at archery, she was able to hit a target balloon.

Next month, they'll take a night insect hunt. That project also awards Frontiers points.

So far, the two each have earned about 1,200 Frontiers points. That enough to pass the first awards level. You become a Conservation Tracker after earning 1,000 points for various outdoor activities and projects.

The highest rating in the Frontiers' program comes after you've earned 30,000 points. Although it takes time, that total has been reached by dedicated young people in the St. Louis area.

(In January, 2002, YSL.com profiled two brothers, Josh and Jacob Weller. That was after they both achieved the 30,000-point plateau. To read their story, click here.)

(If you'd like to join the Frontiers program, you can contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at the Busch headquarters at (636) 441-4554.)

Brothers Daniel, James and Michael Maason of O'Fallon, Mo., only have been Frontiers members since last June. Their archery lessons were worth 100 points, giving them 750 points each.

Eleven-year-old Daniel said one of his next Frontiers projects is the ABC walk. That's a hike when they identify something in the outdoors for every letter in the alphabet.

He said the project he liked best so far was writing a report on poisonous plants. The list included such things as poison ivy, poison oak and hemlock.

He also went to Busch to try out his wildlife calls. He made calls to deer, crickets and frogs. Daniel said he got answers back from a robin and a cardinal.

Nine-year-old James said he likes the sounds he hears when on hikes in the woods. He's looking forward to the ABC hike. But, he admits that he "brought back two rashes" when he went on the poison plant hike.

Younger brother Michael, who is 7, said his best experience outdoors was in Georgia. He said the family caught a 40-inch alligator snapping turtle. They caught a fish and fed it to the turtle.

"It snapped the fish's head right off," Michael said.

Twelve-year-old Robby Lass of St. Charles said he's earned "about 2,340-ish" Frontiers points. He and his brother, 10-year-old Eric, have been in the program for a year.

Eric said he's earned 1,300 points so far. "I didn't write the story like Robby did," he said.

Robby said his book was "about a kid who didn't like the outdoors at first. But, he caught a big fish and then turned into being a big conservationist." He said the story book was worth 500 Frontiers points.

Another project involved building and filling bird feeders. "But, most of the time, we just end up feeding the squirrels," he said.

Eric said squirrels are persistent in raiding the bird feeders. "Once, they even tipped over a humming bird feeder and drank the nectar," he said.

Eric said they try to help wildlife. "Once, we took care of a dove that hit our window. The bird finally got better and flew away," he said. He added that birdwatching is his favorite outdoor activity, followed by fishing and "tubing on the river."

Robby said his favorite outdoor activity is fishing. "That, and going to the Bass Pro Shop," he added. The famous outdoor store from Springfield, Mo., recently opened another outlet in St. Charles County.