Back by popular demand! The Greenway Quest from Great Rivers Greenway awaits, and this year your mission is a truly buzzworthy scavenger hunt! Take to the St. Louis area's greenways (and City Museum) to find one of 250 hand-painted bee rocks along the trails. When you find one, you'll be entered to win one of several prize packages with goodies like City Museum tickets, greenway swag and gift certificates from some of the St. Louis area's family favorites!
The Greenway Quest is a free activity sponsored by Great Rivers Greenway designed to encourage exploration and fun while reminding people to admire the real birds, insects and animals found along the greenways from a distance. As a special bonus, STL Parent readers can also enter our contest to win additional prizes, like pizza and a picnic on a greenway and more! [ENTER HERE]
According to Anne Milford, Great Rivers Greenway Communications Coordinator, staff at the organization and volunteers are hiding bees along the edges of the greenways and at designated trailheads. City Museum is hiding 30 bees at the Museum. "People should look in places like the base of a tree, tucked along a fence or bench – within 5 to 6 feet of the edge of a greenway. Note that they will not be on neighboring private property, and we ask people to please stay along the greenway."
There are more than 135 miles of greenways across the St. Louis metro area, including St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. And this year's Greenway Quest includes 30 bee rocks hidden all around City Museum. Follow this link for 3 great ways to find greenways.
“The rocks have been painted by volunteers to look like our important pollinator friends, the bees,” said Dallas Adams, Great Rivers Greenway Communications Manager. “The native plants and habitats we install along the greenways rely on bees to pollinate and keep the plants productive. Bees are vital to our entire ecosystem and bee populations worldwide are on the decline. So if you see a bee, say thank you and please, let it bee!”
Here's how to participate in the 2023 Greenway Quest:
Head out to a greenway or visit the City Museum to see if you can find one of the painted bee rocks. If you find a bee rock, take it home and log it at GreenwayQuest.com. You will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of several prize packages with goodies like City Museum tickets, greenway swag and gift certificates from St. Louis area favorites.
You are encouraged to post photos of you and your bee rock and tag @GreatRiversSTL and @CityMuseum so they can see and share your Greenway Quest finds!
The bees will be hidden along the edges of the greenways or at designated trailheads, never on private property. Please stay near the greenway trail on your quest! Plan your greenway visit (and see where bees have already been found) at GreenwayQuest.com. Plan your visit to City Museum at CityMuseum.org
“We encourage people to look around and see how many animals and insects they can find as they walk or ride, but please enjoy them from a distance,” Adams said. “If they are lucky enough to find a bee rock, they can take it home and win prizes.”
If someone finds more than one bee rock, Greenway Quest partners encourage them to place it in the same spot so more people can join in the fun.
The Greenway Quest is already happening and will continue until all "bees" are found, so plan your greenway adventure now!
In the meantime, don't forget to enter our contest to win "Pizza and a Picnic on a Greenway!" Enter by August 22 at 10 p.m. ENTER HERE
Photos courtesy of Great Rivers Greenway
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