RESTON, Va. — The National Wildlife Federation, the nation’s largest nonprofit conservation education organization, is starting 2022 with a celebratory salute to Ranger Rick Jr. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the award-winning children's magazine for kids ages 4-7, and to celebrate, the National Wildlife Federation is launching an activity-packed, 360-degree print-to-digital experience — the first of its kind for the magazine — celebrity read-alongs, and cake-eating animal videos contributed by zoos across the country.
 
Ranger Rick Jr. is an extension of the beloved Ranger Rick brand that has inspired kids to be wildlife champions for more than 50 years. Over the course of its history, the award-winning magazine has served the National Wildlife Federation’s conservation mission and energized future generations to love and care for wildlife through interactive learning such as animal stories and nature activities, crafts and recipes, quizzes and games, and jokes and comic adventures.
 
“Ranger Rick has inspired generations of kids to get outdoors, explore their world, and engage with wildlife,” said Dawn Rodney, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer for the National Wildlife Federation. “For the past 10 years, Ranger Rick Jr. has continued this work by highlighting conservation issues and wildlife topics for kids of all ages and backgrounds in adorable and charming ways. We are excited to celebrate 10 years of Ranger Rick Jr. and keep expanding the ecosystem of content on the platforms kids are on.” 
 
As part of the occasion, the National Wildlife Federation will release Ranger Rick Jr.’s February 2022 issue as a special birthday edition with stickers and an interactive digital scavenger hunt. Birthday QR codes hidden within the issue lead to 10 digital activities developed by the organization. Kids will have the opportunity to make Ranger Rick Jr. a birthday card, take a personality quiz, create a comic, play animal games, and more.  The magazine will be available on newsstands on Feb. 1.
 
Kids will also have the chance to see some animal friends celebrating Ranger Rick Jr.’s birthday with their own version of birthday cake (that might include a colorful three-layered fish, gelatin and ice cake for gray seals; or mealworm, meat and produce for a coatimundi, a raccoon-like omnivore; or alfalfa sprouts and apple juice for a western lowland gorilla)! The National Wildlife Federation has enlisted the help of zoos located around the country including the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, San Francisco Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the Phoenix Zoo, Zoo Miami, the Buffalo Zoo, Brookfield Zoo of Chicago, the Oregon Zoo, Akron Zoo and Pittsburgh Zoo to submit birthday videos featuring creatures from river otters, gorillas, pandas, hippos, elephants, seals, polar bears and more. See the video here. 
 
Additionally, the National Wildlife Federation will be joined by leading figures and celebrity guests — to be announced separately — for a recorded read-along of a story from the 10-year birthday edition of the magazine and beloved stories from past issues.
 
To learn more about Ranger Rick, visit https://rangerrick.org/.