Entry to Exploration: Join the Junior Ranger Program

Junior Ranger Day

The Junior Ranger program provides an entryway into the wonders of the park system and the outdoors. At any time of year, kids can pick up a Junior Ranger booklet from various sites within the AMNHA and complete a series of activities to earn their badge. Are you ready to take the pledge?

Junior Ranger Day

Ranger Robby Astrove of Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve speaks to kids preparing to embark on the Junior Ranger program.

Completing the Junior Ranger booklet is easy – you can either download and print a copy from our website, or stop by one of these sites to pick up a copy:

Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve
Flat Rock Archives
Lithonia-Davidson Library
Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Salem-Panola Library
Stonecrest Library

Completing the activities in the book will take you across the AMNHA, from the historic facilities of the Flat Rock Archives to the stony slopes of Arabia and Panola Mountains to the peace and beauty of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit and beyond. These activities will guide you through the history and ecology of this landscape. And once you’ve completed them all, return to one of our partner sites to take the pledge and receive your badge!

You can receive your badge at:

Arabia Alliance Headquarters (during business hours)
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center
Flat Rock Archives
Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Panola Mountain State Park

Please not that, while we always want to swear in new rangers, our availability is subject to operating hours. Also note that Panola Mountain State Park requests a $5 parking fee unless you have a Georgia State Parks Pass. You can also take the pledge online.

“I love the Junior Ranger program because it lets kids experience this incredible resource right in their backyards,” said Sarah Lisle, Director of Interpretation for the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance. “From iconic historic sites to the peace of the Monastery to the rich beauty of this area’s greenspace, there is so much to explore.” Beginning north of Lithonia and extending south of Conyers, the AMNHA encompasses over 400 million years of natural and human history. Including historic sites, resilient communities and beautiful natural areas, this National Heritage Area provides a gateway to the Georgia Piedmont region across time.

Once you’ve become a Junior Ranger at the AMNHA, you can continue the Junior Ranger fun at other National Park affiliates in the area, including at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Check out these local parks for more information. You can also head over to the National Park Service website to earn more Junior Ranger badges at home.

Come find your park with Junior Ranger!

Junior Ranger Day

A group of newly-minted Junior Rangers proudly sport their badges.

Junior Ranger Day

Junior Rangers learn about agriculture, part of the history of the AMNHA.