The Northern Nevada Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) is proud to announce the success of its Mobile Wildlife Educational Center – Sensory Safari Trailer, which showcases North American taxidermy, including animals, birds, and fish. This innovative educational initiative reaches out to over 1,000 youth annually by participating in eight outdoor youth events.
Recently, the Mobile Wildlife Educational Center was featured at the Fernley Intermediate School Outdoor Youth Day, an annual event designed for sixth graders. The event included 14 interactive stations, where students engaged in activities such as archery, fly fishing, gold panning, model aviation (including drones), and bird displays. A highlight of the day was the Navy canine unit from Fallon, which is part of the Navy’s Top Gun Program. The Nevada Department of Wildlife also played a significant role, facilitating the archery, fly fishing, and pelt recognition stations.
During the event, approximately 400 students rotated through each of the 14 groups, spending twenty minutes at each station before breaking for lunch. The Mobile Wildlife Educational Center provided an engaging experience where students could touch and take pictures with the displayed taxidermy. They were challenged to identify as many animals as possible, with a quiz at the end of the session. A fun twist was the task of finding two animals in the trailer that are not native to North America: a wallaby from Australia and a porcupine from Africa. Students also had to remember their host’s name, culminating in a group photograph where they made their favorite animal noises.
“This event has been on our calendar for many years, and we extend special credit to the Lyon County School District for making it such a memorable day for the kids,” said a Terry Melby, Northern Nevada Chapter Director.
The Mobile Wildlife Educational Center continues to be a special treat for students, fostering a love for wildlife and the outdoors while providing valuable educational experiences.
