Noyo Center’s first Scavenger Hunt a success
FORT BRAGG » So you’ve lived on the North Coast for a while have you? And you fancy you know a lot about the area’s history, botany and wildlife? Well then, can you tell me what a pneumatocyst is? Or distinguish between a feather boa and a Turkish towel? Or tick off the main anatomical differences between a harbor seal and a California sea lion?
Well, if you’re like me and a bunch of other local folks who participated in the Noyo Center for Marine Science’s Sept. 18 through Sept. 27first annual Scavenger Hunt, you probably learned there’s a lot you don’t know. During that ten- day period the folks who participated either as individuals or as “pods” of friends and family, armed with a list of questions that were both challenging and fun, scoured sites that ranged from Seaside Beach to the north and Big River to the south, with several interesting stops in and around Fort Bragg.
Not everyone finished the whole list, but it’s fair to say that everyone who participated had fun and learned something new. Lots of us went out several times during the contest period, exploring a new beach for an hour or two, or hustling up and down Fort Bragg’s alleys in search of a mural, or scouring the signs along the Coastal Trail for the meaning of “kamalel poma” or at the Big River estuary for an indication of how far the tide runs up the river. (Answer: an astonishing 8.5miles!) Sometimes you’d think you knew something, but didn’t.
Like lots of others, I was sure the Lost Fisherman statue was the one behind the Subway at the Boatyard Shopping Center but, nope, it was a different one, down on the harbor off S. Harbor Drive. It didn’t matter, the quest wasn’t about knowing, it was about learning. It was also about being outside and soaking up all the treasures, even the hidden ones, that make life here worthwhile.
Participants in the hunt were pretty unified in their responses — the hunt was fun, it was challenging, it included questions that touched the interests of just about everyone, and it was a great way to get outside during this time of COVID-19.
For many, it was a wonderful family activity and a great way to pry the kids away from their computer screens and get them onto a beach. One of the participants, former Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner (and current Noyo Center board president), who took part with his wife Anne and grand- children Rowan, Zo, Kenzie and Ali, echoed these sentiments and also stressed the hunt’s emphasis on mask- wearing as a way to keep everyone safe.
The contest’s Grand Prize winner was Team Schoeneman, led by Sarah Schoeneman of Mendocino, who was joined by her daughter Ella Pacurar and friends Tom and Sallie Costello. The team shared the Grand Prize of a $250 gift certificate and also garnered a special prize for best photo (a picture of Ella Pacurar with seaweed hair extensions).
Schoeneman shared the sentiments of others about how thrilled she was to
have a focused outdoor activity to balance her daughter’s mornings spent in online learning, and the fun of getting outside with friends to develop a deeper understanding of what the coast is all about. Af
ter all, we all visit the local beaches, but how many of us really “see” them? For her, itwas also a great way to know more about the North Coast community.
For Schoeneman, the contest also had a practi
cal value. She owns and operates the Brewery Gulch Inn in Mendocino with her husband Guy Pacurar and is often called upon to recommend interesting local destinations to her clients. Thanks to the Scavenger Hunt, she feels better able to do that with a new depth of understanding about such issues as the kelp forest decline.
And me? I went out almost every day with my beach- loving dog Frank and a bag to pick up trash and learned something every time. I wasn’t gunning for a prize, just wanted to share in the experience. And, sure enough, I didn’t win anything — but Frank did! A special prize for best dog photo — he’s the tan and white pup with a nice pile of debris. Good boy, Frank!
Inspired by the success of this event, the Noyo Center organizers (take a bow Wendi Felson, Carin Berolzheimer and Lynne Sullivan) are planning another scavenger hunt for next spring, during the whale migration. And if you feel inspired to support the Noyo Center’s education activities, the organization’s Virtual Fall Fundraiser is coming up on Oct. 11. Go to noyocenter.org to purchase a ticket and learn more.