A place for young children to have fun and possibly incubate a lifelong love of the outdoors is about to make its debut at Northwest Trek. Kids' Trek, a new half-acre attraction at the wildlife park near Eatonville, will open April 2. It's the culmination of a year of work on the $1.9 million project, paid for with donations via the Northwest Trek Foundation, companies, individuals, grants and a voter-approved bond measure. A tree trunk for climbing, a tunnel slide and a stream to follow to a beaver pond are part of the new feature. Its designers call it a unique setting that integrates an appreciation of wildlife and plants into child-oriented activities. "Kids' Trek is a link between our younger audience and the natural world, encouraging them to explore more,GÇ¥ said Alan Varsik, deputy director of Northwest Trek. "We think engaging children more closely in nature-themed play will help them develop a greater appreciation for the world around them.GÇ¥ The attraction GÇô free with a paid admission to the park GÇô is ADA-accessible, making it available to children of all abilities. From the moment they pass beneath the giant cedar entryway, toddlers to "tweens" can find the following at Kids' Trek: " A 20-foot-tall, hollow tree trunk fitted with cargo nets for climbing. The trunk isn't real GÇô it was built of man-made material GÇô but it looks like something from the deepest forests of Washington, Trek officials say. " Three slides GÇô a pair of 13-foot, granite-like chutes and a 20-foot tunnel with a 30-degree bend " A 78-foot-long stream that cascades into a simulated beaver dam that's home to statues of a beaver under a faux lodge and otters amid the rocks. " An area for toddlers with log-cabin playhouses. " Plant and animal tracks embedded in paths for children to identify as they look for evidence of wildlife. In one case, they'll see the tracks of an elk followed by the pawprints of wolves trailing their prey. All the features have a purpose, said Jessica Moore, Northwest Trek's education curator. From the animal tracks to the collection of tumbled branches ready for creative tinkering, the idea is to provide opportunities for children to learn and explore, she explained. That includes the discovery cart, a mobile science station with magnifying glasses and activities. Natural elements included in the Kits Trek layout include plants and stumps left over from trees that were cleared for the new space or fell elsewhere in the park's 435-acre free-roam area that's inhabited by native northwest wildlife. Northwest Trek Foundation, a non-profit group of community members and volunteers, launched a campaign last May to raise $40,000 for Kids Trek. Money for the project also came from a $191 mlllion bond that was passed in 1994 by voters in the Tacoma Metropolitan Parks District, which owns and operates Northwest Trek. Most of the bond funds are going to projects at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma. Northwest Trek is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 to 5 on weekends.
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