Parents of preschoolers to eighth-grade students can now register their children for Rescue Ranch’s 2021 Critter Camps, daily spring and daily/one-week summer camp sessions offering hands-on educational experiences with animal interactions.

Critter Camps are designed to be fun, educational camp experiences for children who love animals. All camps involve daily interaction with animals, games, crafts and STEM activities. Campers will learn how to care for animals, provide enrichment, and to promote humane animal care to others.

In addition, and weather depending, campers will explore the Ranch’s walking trails and have access to the 10,000 square foot inclusive Earnhardt Family playground.

Assisting with each camp session are Rescue Ranch’s permanent residents and animal ambassadors that include steer, turkeys, miniature horses, potbellied pigs, a variety of parrots, ferrets, rabbits, snakes, lizards, tortoises and more.

The 2021 Critter Camp schedule is as follows:

Spring Break

For kindergarten through fifth-grade students, the spring break session is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $40 per day or $190 per child, per week, March 8-12.

• Farming with my Gnomies –This week campers will learn about gardening and taking care of the Ranch’s farm animals. Students will complete STEM experiments, have hands on animal interactions, craft and plant a garden at the Ranch.

To register for the Spring Break Critter Camp, visit rescueranch.com/programs/camps/.

Summer Camp

For preschool children age four or five, there are two sessions available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Myth Busters – Campers will solve common myths about science and animals. The cost is $100 per child, per four-day session and the dates include June 14-17.
• Shipwrecked – Campers will learn about the kinds of animals you find on an island and their environment. The cost is $100 per child, per four-day session and the dates include July 19-22.

For children entering kindergarten through fifth grade, there are seven themed, weekly sessions available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Myth Busters – Campers will solve common myths about science and animals. The cost is $200 per child, per five-day session and the dates include June 7-11, June 14-18, June 21-15 and July 5-9 ($40 per day for July session).
• Shipwrecked – Campers will learn about the kinds of animals you find on an island and their environment. The cost is $200 per child, per five-day session and the dates include July 19-23, July 26-30 and August 2-6.

For students entering sixth through eighth grade, there is one themed weeklong session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Animal Careers –From veterinarians, to zookeepers, to wildlife rehabilitators campers will learn about all different careers for animal lovers. The cost is $200 per child, per week and the date is July 12-16.

For campers with special needs, entering first through sixth grade, there are two weeklong, half day, sessions available from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 – 4 p.m.

• Shipwrecked – Campers will learn about the kinds of animals you find on an island and their environment. The cost is $25 per child, per week. No additional discounts are available this week as the cost has been reduced thanks to donor support and the date is June 28 – July 2.

These sessions are open to children with disabilities including but not limited to, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other special needs that require more supervision and a smaller group setting in order to have a successful camp experience. This camp is taught by certified teachers with exceptional children experience who are first aid and CPR certified.

To register for this session, please contact Allyson Floyd at (704) 768-0909 or at education@rescueranch.com.

A 10 percent discount applies for any preschool, elementary or middle school Summer Critter Camp if registered by March 15 or a 5 percent discount if registered by May 1. Also available is a $10 sibling discount when registered together. For some sessions, extended care is available from 8-9 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. for $15 per day.

Registration will remain open as long as space is available. For more information on Rescue Ranch’s Critter Camps or to register, visit rescueranch.com/programs/camps/. Payment plans and partial scholarships are available.

Last night at 11:03pm, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Northern North Carolina about a mile south of Sparta.

The quake is being considered an aftershock from the largest North Carolina earthquake in over 100 years that continues to rattle the same region last August.

The USGS’s ‘Did You Feel It’ map showed that people reported feeling the quake as far away as Alabama and Pennsylvania:

Because August 9th’s quake was so large, it’s aftershocks will likely continue for some time, and could even trigger other quakes around our state.

According to the USGA, “Aftershocks can continue over a period of weeks, months, or years. In general, the larger the mainshock, the larger and more numerous the aftershocks, and the longer they will continue.”

Earthquakes have been increasing in frequency around the Charlotte region over the past few years. Last year, we saw a 4.4 magnitude quake hit Decatur, TN, and a couple of months ago, a 2.6 magnitude quake rocked a small town just north of Charlotte.

Juniper Level Botanic Garden, a $7.5 million gift to North Carolina State University, will open eight weekends during 2021 for public viewing, plant purchases, and free advice from the experts. There is no admission fee.

“Two open garden weekends are scheduled each season,” said founder and benefactor Tony Avent. “Winter has turned out to be the most important because people can see how the garden is put together. They can see the bones of the garden.

“There are so many incredible plants in the garden in the winter, both for form, for texture, and in flower. Wonderful things from broadleaf evergreens, to conifers, to evergreen perennials. A garden doesn’t have to be a flat pallet of mulch in the wintertime. This is what your garden can look like.”

Winter visitation weekends are February 26-28 and March 5-7.

“With more people working and staying at home and trapped indoors, gardening boomed throughout 2020,” said Avent. “Gardening allows us to get outside and draw healing energy from the earth. Gardening is especially beneficial during tough times, not to mention the beauty and joy it brings.”

Established in 1988 south of downtown Raleigh, the not-for-profit Juniper Level Botanic Garden has grown into a 28-acre conservation and inspiration garden whose mission is to discover, grow, study, propagate and share the world’s flora.

Participating in dozens of domestic and international plant expeditions since the mid-90s, Avent amassed one of the world’s most diverse plant collections. “Currently, we have just over 27,000 different kinds of plants,” explained Avent. “That makes our botanic garden one of the top five collections in the United States.

“We knew the climate was changing and wanted to preserve plants. Many of the plants we found on our trips are now extinct in the wild, and we’re the only place they exist. The more the climate changes, the more paramount it becomes to preserve these plants for human benefit.

“We have always had a close connection with North Carolina State University and JC Raulston Arboretum. The Arboretum’s mission and ours are identical. To collect, study, propagate and share plants. The Arboretum’s primary focus is woody plants, and Juniper Level’s focus is primarily on perennial plants.

“Raulston Arboretum currently has about 7,000 different plants. Between this collection and the 27,000 at Juniper Level, the result is one of the largest and top collections in the world of genetics.

“We set up an endowment through the university. When the endowment for the garden is fully funded, that will allow us to open full-time as a public garden and a sister to Raulston Arboretum,” added Avent.

Meanwhile, operational funding for Juniper Level Botanic Garden continues to be provided by plant sales, growing and shipping over 100,000 plants each year, and selling plants during the open garden weekends.

Fundraising efforts for Juniper Level Botanic Garden in conjunction with JC Raulston Arboretum, operate under the auspices of The Endowment Fund of North Carolina State University, a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax ID 56-6000756. Donors receive an official receipt for contributions to the fund.