River Odyssey for School and Community Outreach and Education (ROSCOE)
The ROSCOE (River Odyssey for School and Community Outreach and Education) program fosters appreciation and understanding about what makes the Missouri River so important to our region and why it’s a national park!
Over the years, the ROSCOE program has taken many forms. From 2017 to 2019, the National Park Service hosted a three-month Junior Ranger Academy. The academy engaged young people in a variety of hands-on topics and experiences. Participants explored birds, trees, aquatic species, prairies, native plants, river ecology, and regional culture.
In 2019, Friends of the MNRR helped produce Roscoe’s River Odyssey, a children’s coloring book that has since become a staple outreach resource for educational and community events. The book follows Roscoe the River Otter on a journey along the Missouri River, introducing young readers and artists to the wildlife, history, and key places along the MNRR.
In 2025, the coloring book was adapted into an interactive, touch-screen experience for the MNRR Mobile Ranger Station, expanding its reach and creating an engaging, hands-on learning opportunity for even more families and children.
Continuing outreach in schools, park rangers at MNRR facilitate ROSCOE fields trips for students to continue learning more about the Missouri River. The goal of these programs is to encourage curiosity and exploration of all that the Missouri River has to offer.