Arboretum offering fun challenge, photo contest this summer

Families in Auburn looking for a fun activity or photographers who want to show off their best shots are in for a treat this summer, thanks to The Donald E. Davis Arboretum.

With the cancellation of summer camps due to COVID-19, the Auburn College of Sciences and Mathematics Outreach has created a Campus Geocaching Challenge at the Donald E. Davis Arboretum meant to encourage families to spend time in nature while learning more about the world in which we live.

The challenge consists of five caches that are hidden from one end of the Arboretum to the other. Each cache has a special 3D-printed coin representing one of the five departments within the College of Sciences and Mathematics for hunters to collect (one per family).

There are also other items that can be traded, so visitors are encouraged to bring some swag to swap. Once the challenge is finished, participants can take a photo of themselves or their families with all five coins and share it using the hashtag #COSAMCampusCache.

In addition, shutterbugs who are nature lovers with a competitive streak can enter the Arboretum Photo Contest this month. Photographers are encouraged to submit photos of plants that are native to Alabama and the Southeastern United States by July 30, and the photos will be voted on from July 31-Aug. 30 on the Arboretum’s Facebook page. Not only can photographers earn bragging rights, but they also could have their work featured in the Arboretum’s 2021 calendar and win other prizes as well.

For more information about the challenge or the photo contest, click here.