CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — Big improvements are on the way for Celebration Park — the decades-old boardwalk at the atlatl range was torn up and will be replaced with a new one, complete with packed gravel, making the area more durable as well as ADA accessible.
- The project to rebuild the boardwalk is expected to be completed in February.
- A temporary atlatl range is set up so that field trippers and visitors can still experience the historic hunting tools during construction.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"You will not find a place that has so many layers of history and archaeology all in one," says Larry Haney, an Interpretive Ranger at Celebration Park.
Celebration Park is Idaho's only archaeological park, which he estimates could date back more than 10 thousand years.
He and his fellow rangers often teach 4th grade field trippers about the park's history by touring the petroglyphs, the Historic Guffey Bridge... and trying their hands at spear-throwing.
"The program that the kids remember the most is the atlatl range," says Nicki Schwend, the Director of Canyon County Parks Cultural and Natural Resources.
She tells me the hands-on activity is usually the most memorable among young students as they learn about the historic hunting tools.
"So right here behind us [are] the hay bales that we use as target holders, where the kids get to practice trying to hit the mammoth targets and most of them learn that they go home thanking a gatherer," says Schwend.
"The kids absolutely love it, it's something physical, it's hands-on, and it offers an immediate reward. You get that target and it's better than a video game," says Haney.
The park hosts about 10,000 students each year and is open to the public— but that kind of foot traffic took a toll on the decades-old wooden boardwalk connecting parts of the park.
"It's an outdoor classroom and what do you have in schools? You have hallways that lead from one classroom to another," says Schwend.
With county funding approved, work is underway to build a new boardwalk with packed gravel making the area more durable and ADA accessible.
"We will have the capacity to have wheelchairs or mobility aids to come up onto the decking, but also get right out to the atlatl range so that everybody can practice their hunting skills," says Schwend.
And while construction is underway, a temporary range is set up so field trippers this Fall won't miss out on the highlight of the trip.
