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Adventure backpacks available to check out at the Great Bend Public Library
Library Backpacks
Library staff show off the Outdoor Adventure Backpacks that are available to check out.

Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! 

We have some exciting news to share. Thanks to a very generous donation from the Audubon of Kansas, we now have Outdoor Adventure Backpacks available for checkout. Each pack comes with one pair of high-quality, adult-sized binoculars and two pairs of child-sized binoculars. Inside you will also find a folder filled with local information. The folder contains pocket guides to common backyard Kansas birds, birding bingo, guides to local wildlife refuges, and maps. There are also booklets on butterflies, endangered species, and even a guide to moon phases and eclipses!

The backpacks themselves are high-quality outdoor backpacks with lots of pockets for storage, padded straps, and spots to hold water bottles, as well as a waist strap to help take pressure off your back. These adventure packs are available now with a two-week checkout period.

These packs have become available at the perfect time, since this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3-4, the Audubon of Kansas is having a Celebration of Cranes at Quivira Wildlife Refuge. They will be offering guided tours to see sandhill cranes and the endangered whooping crane. You’ll also have the chance to learn about wetlands and cranes from experts. On top of that, they are providing lunch! This will truly be a special opportunity to see and learn some unique things about the wildlife around us and the opportune time to test out one of our new kits. Registration for this event is required, you can find a schedule and more information at audubonofkansas.org/celebration-of-cranes. Make sure to come to the library and check out a nature pack before heading to the Wildlife Refuge.

I hope you are all as excited as I am about the new possibilities for fun and education these backpacks will bring to our community. If you’re at all curious or just looking for a fun thing to do with the family on Saturday, come to the library and check one out for yourself! For our other events visit our Facebook and our website, greatbendpl.info. You can also message us on Facebook, email us at gbcirc@gmail.com, or give us a call at 620-792-2409 for any questions about our programming or services.


Hannah Grippin is outreach manager of the Great Bend Public Library.