York River State Park- reflections on our visit

Anna Lowe, Grace Dho, Lindsey Monteith, and Stella Davis

York River State Park is an area of immense beauty as well as a dense history. When we visited the park, there was lots of information both outdoors and within the Visitors Center about the flora and fauna of the park, yet in comparison, there was an absence of Indigenous historical information. Within the Visitors Center there is a small exhibit on the “Archaic Period” which included a small amount of Indigenous histories, but it is by no means comprehensive. The entire historical exhibit felt a little dark and outdated, and it was not as inviting to explore compared to the paths and trails outdoors.

After looking at the historical exhibit inside, we took part in an educational initiative to become Junior Rangers. We received a fun backpack and a bingo sheet to complete on our journey. If you got a “bingo” on any row, column, or diagonal you could then go receive a prize. This bingo was heavily focused on the outdoor elements of the park, with bingo spaces such as “hike a mile” and “find a White Oak tree”. Our group had a lot of fun completing the bingo, and left the park with stickers confirming our status as Junior Rangers.