LCRA Rangers will host a group of youth from the River City Youth Foundation for a day of boat rides, survival skills and soccer practice on Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area.

The youth are middle-school students who have performed community service projects such as helping younger students with their homework or helping with community gardens. The young people live in a low-income, high-crime area of Dove Springs in southeast Austin, between Interstate 35 and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

“Through the River City program, a lot of kids have been reached and have made great decisions about what to do with their lives,’ says LCRA Ranger Corporal Danny Forbes, a retired Austin police officer. “ We want to reward the kids who are working hard to do the right thing.”

The young people are scheduled to arrive at the Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area, on the south side of Lake Travis near the Ridge Harbor subdivision, about 10:15 a.m. Saturday. Here is the day’s schedule:

• 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: The young people will explore the park and learn about water safety, including how to avoid being caught in a flash flood. Lunch.
• 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m.: The young people will take part in a a demanding soccer clinic led by an LCRA Ranger and his son, both soccer experts.
• 2:15 to 3 p.m., LCRA Rangers will take the young people out on LCRA boats for a tour of the upper Colorado River basin.
• 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Rangers will lead the students on a survival walk, offering information on what to do if they get lost, what items to take with them when hiking, and how to survive in the woods.

Mona Gonzalez, the executive director of River City, says a day at the park with LCRA Rangers helps further the organization’s goals of getting what she calls “at-promise” kids in touch with strong positive role models.

“We’re very excited for our young people to see the Rangers up close and to learn about what they do in such a positive environment,” Gonzalez said. “Who knows? Some of our kids may choose to go into law enforcement based on what they see the Rangers do on Saturday.”

Directions to Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area: From Austin, take State Highway 71 West. Turn right on Paleface Ranch Road and go about 4.5 miles to Burnet County Road 414. Turn right and go about 1.5 miles, then take another right just before the entrance to Ridge Harbor. Continue until you reach the park entrance at the end of CR414.