Noyo Center launches annual Scavenger Hunt
Most of us aren’t feeling at our best these days. And why would we be? With fires to the east, smoky skies overhead, and pandemic concerns everywhere, most of us are feeling stressed and a little bit blue.
Adding to the sense of malaise is the fact that most of our usual release valves — sports, dining out and gathering with friends, for example — are largely curtailed right now. So, yes, feeling shut down and house-bound is the order of the day for just about everybody.
The Noyo Center for Marine Science has come up with a great way to break out for a bit while getting some healthy exercise, socializing with friends in a safe way, and learning something new about our most precious local resource — the endlessly fascinating North Coast shoreline and its inhabitants.
So here’s the Noyo Center’s idea for a way to bust out of the gloom, have some fun and get outdoors — come join the Noyo Center’s Scavenger Hunt.
On Friday, Sept. 18, the Noyo Center will launch this first-of-itskind educational brain teaser, to run for ten days through Sept. 27.
The plan is to create an opportunity for individuals, families, or small teams or “pods” of friends
(up to six per pod, not including children under 10) to explore an array of beautiful North Coast locations in the hunt for answers to a list of challenging questions (in English and Spanish) about our coast and all that swim, fly, crawl and float here. There will also be an array of associated activities that will be fun for kids and adults.
Participants will need a camera or cell phone to validate their visits to some of the contest locations and they should wear shoes appropriate for light exercise on coastal locations. You won’t need to be a Sherlock Holmes to solve the clues, nor will you need a Ph.D. in marine biology — but a certain amount of creative thinking will be required.
While the emphasis is on fun and education, a Noyo Center goal is also to promote healthy behaviors, so participants will be expected to follow current Mendocino County health guidelines. Participants who submit a completed questionnaire and a Noyo Center-provided thumb drive by the end of the contest at 5 p.m. on Sept. 27 will be eligible for a cash prize and several other fun prizes.
The skies may be cloudy and gray these days, but there’s no better place to breathe fresh air than by the shore. So come on down!
How to get started? You can pre-register right now on the Noyo Center’s website at www.noyocenter.org or go directly to the Noyo Center’s Discovery Center at 338 N. Main Street (open Friday-Saturday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to register and pick up an information packet that will include a thumb drive and a list of questions and guidelines.
The participation fee is $20 for an individual or $100 per team. You may submit your responses any time prior to 5 p.m. Sept. 27. Proceeds will benefit the
Noyo Center’s extensive education programs.
A final thought — this is the Noyo Center’s “first” annual Scavenger Hunt, meaning there will be another next year, and the year after and so on. Wouldn’t you like to be a pioneer and take part in the very first of what will eventually become a Fort Bragg tradition? It will be something to brag to your grandkids about.