It is well documented that youth in Kentucky falls behind with healthy habits; in particularly with youth. More and more, youth are spending more time indoors with television and video games instead of outdoor, more physically active activities.  The Henderson County Extension office put together a summer program to encourage healthy habits and learn about nature and the area we live in.  For 8 weeks, participants joined the Henderson County Horticulture agent for short 2-3 mile hikes in local State parks and recreational areas.  Each hike included tree identification, wild flower identification, wildlife identification, and general ecosystem education.  The weekly hikes were planned to include most ecosystems present in Western Kentucky including wetlands, hardwood forests,  and grassland areas.  Each hike also included historical components related to Western Kentucky and City of Henderson.  Discussions along the trail included detail about the Ohio river and its impact on the development of Henderson. Other discussions included land use and why we have so much farm land.  

Audubon State park in Henderson provided an excellent educational opportunity for two of the 8 programs.  John James Audubon's art provided an opportunity to introduce the participants to art and its importance to wildlife preservation.  

Eight participants attended 6 or more hikes and every hike included 2-4 adults.  The 7th hike was designed to evaluate the participants.  Each participant was asked to identify a plant, an animal, and describe the ecosystem where they found it.  All 8 participants easily accomplished the task.  Following the last hike, all participants agreed that the program should continue and they were interested in learning more about Henderson, wildlife, and ecosystems.