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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1988)
NdSaskan Arts & Entertainment pjf Monday, May 2,1988 A A Campus rec offers outdoor adventure By Mick Dyer Senior Reporter Within each mild-mannered, in dustrious and scholarly University of Nebraska-Lincoln student lurks a potential outdoor adventurer. And Bruce Rischar, graduate as sistant in the outdoor recreation pro gram, would like to tap that potential this summer. “The entire summer is dedicated to the beginningoutdoorsman,” Rischar said. “We’re trying to cater to begin ners.” What he is talking about is expos ing students to the challenger, thrills and fun of the outdoors. The UNL Office of Campus Rec reation still has space available on nine exciting summer trips from their 14th annual outdoor adventures se ries. The trips range from canoeing and backpacking to bicycling. The Republican River canoe trip, May 20-22, features canoeing the scenic stretch of river from Harlan County Reservoir to Riverton. Sign up deadline is May 10, and the limit is I 18 people. Student cost is $50. The Canyonlands Backpacking trip, May 27-June 5, features day hikes and wilderness backpacking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in south-central Utah. Begin ning and experienced backpackers can enjoy Indian ruins, rock paint ings, petroglyphs and breath-taking desert scenery. Sign-up deadline is May 10, and the trip is limited to 12 people. Student cost is $225. The Basic Rock Climbing Semi nar, June 8-12, features training in the basics of rock climbing at Palisades State Park, South Dakota. Sign-up deadline is June 7, and the trip is limited to 16 people. Student cost is $55. The Stromsburg Bicycle Tour, June 17-19, features a bicycle joumey to Stromsburg’s annual Swedish fes tival. Sign-up deadline is June 7, and the trip is limited to 18 people. Stu dent cost is $40. The “Fun” and Baseball in Kansas City trip, June 18, features transporta tion, passports to Worlds of Fun or Oceans of Fun and tickets to the Angels vs. Royals baseball game. Sign-up deadline is June 3, and the trip is limited to 39 people. Student cost is $40. The Upper Niobrara River Canoe Trip, June 24-26, features canoeing the less-crowded, more-challenging and scenic stretch of the Niobrara River from south of Nenzcl to south of Crookston. Sign-up deadline is June 14, and the trip is limited to 16peoplc. Student cost is $50. The family Canoc/Camping on the Niobrara River Trip, July 8-10, fea tures canoeing and camping for the whole family. There’s no age mini mums for children if accompanied by a parent. Sign-up deadline is June 28, and the trip is limited to 16 people. Student cost is $50; second family member at $45; third at $40; and each additional family member at $35. The Whitewater Rafting on the Green River in Utah Trip, July 16-25, features rafting through Desolation Canyon on one of America’s premier whitewater rivers. Sign-up deadline is July 19, and the trip is limited to 10 people. Student cost is $245. The Dismal River Canoe Trip, July 29-31, features canoeing this beautiful, forested spring-fed river in the Nebraska Sandhills. Sign-up deadline is July 19, and the trip is limited to 16 people. Student cost is $50. All transportation, equipment and food for the trips are provided by campus recreation. All the student needs to bring are their clothes, Ris char said. For the student on a budget, these trips are a bargain, he said. Since the campus recreation office is a non profit organization, it can offer these trips at about half the price of a com mercial travel agency, Rischar said. Another point about these trips is they arc led by trained UNL students who are interested in the outdoors. The trips have had excellent safely records, Rischar said. Rischar said that these trips are popular. He he recommends signing up early. “Quite a few students take advan tage of these services each year,” he said. There arc many reasons for their popularity, he said. They are an inex pensive way to gain valuable out doors experience, he said. “These trips are a good way to get the experience needed for more ad vanced outdoor experiences offered through campus rec,” Rischar said. “We teach basic camping and canoe ing skills as well as respect for the environment.” Another reason for their popular ity is their emphasis on fitness, he said. “We try to put out a good healthy lifestyles attitude,” Rischar said. Probably the biggest reason for their popularity is feeling of rever ence for nature that they instill. “The Niobrara is a botanical jewel,” Rischar said. “There is no where in the world quite like it.” “People come back from these trips with a sense of satisfaction,” Rischar said. . Opening day at zoo continues tradition By Micki Haller Senior Editor Sunday, opening day at the Folsom Children’s Zoo and Botani cal Gardens, was a cloudy, windy, cool harbinger of summer. Amid an ocean of brightly-col ored shorts, parents dragged weary tots through the zoo, and vice versa. Taking the kids to the zoo has been a tradition in Lincoln for 23 years. Located on 81/2 acres leased from the city of Lincoln, it is one of about 14 private zoos in the nation. “The newest attractions are the European white storks,” said Mike Bowling, business manager at the zoo. Also new is a 300-gallon, salt water aquarium that hasn't been fully stocked yet. Going from winter homes to summer places isn’t too hard for many of the animals. “They all stay here,” Bowling said, except for the horses and goats that go to the farm. Bowling said the most popular attraction is the C.P. Huntington Iron Horse Railroad, the small red train that takes sight-seers around the zoo. The train is a replica of an 1863 model. arrived plants leave the paths a little bit naked. But still, the zoo has the bright, friendly faces of the workers. The Critter Encounter Area is a hands-on, close-up experience for children and adults. Tatfy, a 2-year old angora rabbit, is petted by chil dren barely older than it. Leroy, a huge, albino r^t with red, bulbous eyes, is friendly and likes the atten tion, despite being every home owner’s nightmare. Also on display, but safely en cased in a glass tank, is a Haitian tarantula. Fast the playful North American otters and the wallabies from Aus tralia that look something like shrunken kangaroos, are the mon keys. Two Japanese macaque play in a cage. There arc benches outside for tired zoo-goers to sit and watch the monkeys’ antics. However, the monkeys seem more interested in watching the humans. Beside the brightly-colored, but slightly maniacal-looking “Crook ed House” are the pony-rides and the farm animals. The goats have kids, too. These draw a lot of “oohs,” “ahs,” and “Look at the baby goats, Frankie.” -"V Please don’t feed the animals people . ^ - On Aug. 20, the zoo will have a large celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the train. Among the animals, Ben the Bear is the biggest attraction, Bowling said. Ben, a Kodiak bear, now is known for his vandal-enhanced sign proclaiming ‘Please don’t feed the animals people.” Not everything is quite in place at the Children’s Zoo. In the second week of May, more than 7,000 annual plants will arrive for the Botanical Gardens, Bowling said. The zoo seems like it’s just stretching after a long winter’s nap. The animals arc a little shy, unused to so many people. Leaves and dirt haven’t been completely cleaned up yet, and of course, the not-yet The Animal Kingdom Building is one of the best parts of the zoo. Brightly-colored tropical birds, the leonine Tamar inc monkeys and the scary giant constrictors evoke a range of emotions. Zooville Square, the shopping emporium with an Old West theme, is in the southwest comer of the zoo. It reportedly has excellent food. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sun day. In June, July and August, Thursday hours are extended to 8 p.m. Admission prices are $2.75 lor adults, $1 for children ages 2 to 11, and free for children under 2. Train rides and pony rides are $1. _ MsrK uavts/uaiiy NaorasKan Above: UNL student David Gibbers holds an albino rat while a zoo volunteer looks on. Below: Dave Rogers takes a shot inside the petting stables with son Nathan backing him up. _