Monthly Newsletter

April, 2021

EDUCATION UPDATE: A sense of normalcy finally returned to Deerassic Park as we hosted a full week of field trips to round out the month of April. Over 350 students ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade enjoyed a wide range of outdoor educational activities during their trips. We have several more field trips scheduled and we can't wait to see the excitement on the students faces when they arrive at Deerassic Park! In addition to field trips, we have been busy with several other events as well. On April 3, we hosted our annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year's hunt allowed youth and their families the chance to hike our nature trail collecting eggs, reading Easter jokes and even meeting the Easter Bunny. Over 300 youth participated in the hunt this year. On April 10, We partnered with John Glenn's archery team to host our first annual Deerassic Park Fun Shoot. This was a NASP archery event which featured over 80 participants from several different school districts. Prizes were awarded to the top 5 finishers in 3 age groups for both boys and girls. Finally, April also saw us hold our annual Youth Turkey Hunt. This year's hunt included 5 hunters selected from a strong pool of applicants. the group was able to harvest 2 turkeys, both firsts for the hunters, and enjoy a great weekend of hunting and making memories. Trivia Question: Which of the following fish species in Not found in Deerassic Park's Pond? A) Bluegill Select B) Yellow Perch Select C) White Crappie Select D) Largemouth Bass Select E) Channel Catfish Select F) White Amur Select TRIVIA CONTEST:  Answer this month's trivia question (see above) correctly and be entered for a chance to win a Deerassic Park Hat!!! Last month was another tough one as only 23 of the 180 responses being correct. Congratulations to Mark M. on winning last months contest. We will be reaching out to you to send a hat your way. Dino's Did You Know: Another variation of the white-tailed deer is the melanistic deer, which lack distinct variations in color such as brown or white pelage. Most melanistic whitetails are black across their entire body with the exception of the hair around the ventral area under the tail. Melanism is a random genetic anomaly. Changes in the coat color of mammals are believed to be mutations in the melanicortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R). The mutated gene that causes melanism is believed to be recessive, just like the gene responsible for some albinism and all piebaldism. Melanistic and normal whitetails do coexist in the same area. The genetics of the white deer have not been studied extensively, but a recessive gene for lack of pigmentation apparently prevents usual (i.e. brown) coloration of the hair. In an unprotected environment, white deer are usually easy prey for predators or hunters. Other white deer herds exist in protected environments, including the 10,000+ acre Seneca Army Depot in New York, established in 1941, which is one of the largest in the country. At one time, white deer accounted for almost 200 of the approximately 800 deer within the Depot protected fences. COLORING CONTEST Reminder! We are continuing our Coloring Contest with the “Deerassic Park Activity Booklets.” The Activity Booklets have all sorts of fun, nature themed activities to do in them including word puzzles, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, I Spys, and more! On the back cover of each Activity Booklet is a coloring contest! This allows kids to color the cartoon deer on the back and then their parents can mail them into us or stop out at the Park and drop them off. The coloring contest is NOT art based and winners each quarter are chosen randomly! Of course, we’d love to still see your beautiful artwork! Winners are chosen on a running basis, so the sooner you get your submission in, the more drawings you’ll be entered in! We will be doing drawings in June, September, and December as well this year and announce them in the newsletter, as well as our social media platforms! Winners will be contacted separately to arrange a time to pick up their prize here at the Park! How'd you do last month? The white deer at Deerassic Park are considered? A) Melanistic B) Leucistic C) Albino D) Piebald The white deer found here at Deerassic Park are a natural variation of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which usually have brown coloring. The white deer are leucistic, meaning they lack all pigmentation in the hair, but have the normal brown-colored eyes. This is found in about one percent of all whitetails. Leucistic animals lack pigment over all or part of their bodies. Leucistic deer can be varying levels of white – some contain white splotches, some are half brown and half white, some appear nearly all white. Mixed brown and white animals are often known as “piebald”. As with albinism, leucism can be found in nearly all mammals. Albino deer, which lack only the pigment melanin, have pink eyes and are extremely rare. Albinism is a congenital condition defined by the absence of pigment, resulting in an all-white appearance and pink eyes. Many plant and animal species exhibit albinism (including humans). It’s difficult to accurately determine how frequently this condition exists in wild animals, because albino animals tend not to survive long. They have poor eyesight and are conspicuous, making them easy prey. Research suggests that albino alligators, for instance, survive on average less than 24 hours after hatching.

DEERASSIC ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT Each month we spotlight one of the amazing educational activities offered by our dedicated education team

INDOOR BB GUN RANGE Description: This inflatable range is completely safe for kids of ALL AGES. Using BB guns, students learn the basics of firearm safety along with basic marksmanship while trying to shoot a paper target that they’ll get to keep and take home!  Length: 30 - 60 Minutes + Grades: K +

SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION

Deerassic Park Summer Camp Registration opens this week!!! The long awaited registration window for Deerassic’s Summer Camps is soon upon us! Registration for ALL SUMMER CAMPS opens this Wednesday, May 5th! Registration is now super simple! Just visit deerassic.com, click on the Summer Camps Section, find the camp you wish to sign your child up for, and click Register Today! All forms needed for the camp will need to be filled out right on the online form and payment is due upon registration. Once you completed the online form, we suggest printing of the confirmation page as well as the helpful links on the confirmation page for your reference. These will help you know what the tentative schedule is for camp, what items your camper should bring, and what the latest COVID-19 procedures are. If you have any questions, please call (740) 435-3335 or email luke@deerassic.com. Please understand this is our peak spring field trip season and we are quite busy with school groups. We will try and get your questions answered as soon as we can. Thank you for understanding! As subscribers to our newsletter you are the first to find out about the registration date. We appreciate you following us throughout the year and your continued support! Thank you so much and we can’t wait to see you at camp this summer! 2021 Summer Camp Schedule -       Taste of Deerassic (Ages 6-8) June 8th-9th -       Art Camp Beginner (Ages 6-8) & Intermediate (Ages 9-11) June 15th and 17th -       Archery Camp (Ages 10-17) June 21st – 24th -       Junior Camp Session 1 (Ages 9-11) June 29th – July 2nd -       Senior Camp (Ages 12-15) July 6th – 9th -       Hydro Camp Sessions 1 & 2 (Ages 9-15) July 13th and 15th -       Junior Camp Session 2 (Ages 9-11) July 20th – 23rd -       Survival Camp (Ages 12-15) July 27th – 29th -       Bowhunting Camp (Ages 12-15) September 4th- 6th

UPCOMING EVENTS Please check our website and Facebook page for more details

May 21: NWTF Hunt June 12: Hospice Touch-a-Truck June 14 - 17: Scout Day Camp June 18: Youth Fishing Derby June 21 - 24: Archery Day Camp (ages 10-17) June 26: Kicking Bear June 29 - July 2: Junior Day Camp Session 1 (ages 9-11)

Due to the current, ever-changing circumstances surrounding the global pandemic, please be sure to check our Facebook page and website for updates and cancellations.

Deerassic Park Education Center | [deerassic.com]

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