ASHEVILLE — The North Carolina Arboretum, a 434-acre public garden headquartered in Asheville and an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System, recently announced a new partnership with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation to expand the Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE citizen-science youth program to all 41 North Carolina state park locations in 2019.

To celebrate the new initiative and launch the parks’ new ecoEXPLORE HotSpot locations (designated areas to observe plants and wildlife), the Arboretum will launch a “10 Parks in 10 Days” tour from July 8 through July 20, including public science events and demonstrations at 10 selected state parks.

As part of the kick-off event, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park — located in Wayne County — will host a special ecoEXPLORE Day at its park on Friday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This family-friendly program will include information programming about ecoEXPLORE, science activities and demonstrations. In addition, visitors can learn about ecoEXPLORE’s new Snake Badge, which correlates with North Carolina State Parks’ 2019 “Year of the Snake” theme.

Launched in 2016, The North Carolina Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) citizen-science program combines natural science exploration with kid-friendly technology to help foster children’s interests in science and scientific careers. Children in grades K-8 are encouraged to get outdoors, make photographic observations of plants and wildlife, and upload their findings online. Participants earn points to qualify for science tools, badges and invitations to special events. Participation is free and parents or guardians can sign up their child online at ecoexplore.net.

For more information on the Arboretum’s “10 Parks in 10 Days” tour, please visit ecoEXPLORE.net.