NatureQuest Will Replace This Year's NatureFest

When Kyle Alger heard that NatureFest 2012 wasn’t going to happen he decided he needed to do something about it.

The Herndon High School student, who will be a senior this year, lives with his mother near , where he’s been taking part in events for more than 10 years.

The organizers of NatureFest, the Friends of Runnymede Park, were unable to organize the event this year, so Kyle picked up the helm and is organizing NatureQuest to take its place.

The free event will be from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Similar to NatureFest, the event will have different stations where participants can learn about aspects of nature. Some of the old stations will be included, such as bees, the bat lady, insects, butterflies, mosquitoes and ticks, recycling and more.

NatureQuest will also have food available from JJ Deli and Tropical Smoothie and an arts and crafts station will be set up in the pavilion at the park.

Kyle began planning the event at the beginning of August when he saw that NatureFest had been canceled.

He said he’s had a lot of support from the Town of Herndon. Many of the staff will volunteer to help prepare for the event, bring out tables and help manage traffic and parking.

Volunteers will also be coming from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, where Kyle’s mother worked previously.

Kyle said at previous NatureFest events he most often worked with John DeNoyer and Ann Csonka at their station, teaching attendees about snakes, toads and turtles.

He said his favorite part of taking part in the event is being able to teach children about nature. In addition to taking part in previous NatureFest events, Kyle has also been a volunteer at the town’s Nature Camps for many years.

NatureQuest will have some differences from the park’s previous nature events. NatureQuest will include a deejay on hand playing family friendly music and a raffle will be held as well. Participants must be present to win. There will also not be passports to fill out.

Kyle said at the moment they’ll need volunteers for the day of the event, to do things like setting up tables and chairs and help at some of the stations. He said they also need people to help spread the word, whether it’s with fliers or on Facebook.

Those who come to NatureQuest should look forward to getting out in the park and enjoying themselves while learning about the nature in their neighborhood, Kyle said. 

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