Poverty Point hosts forager hike

Learn about plants the ancient Native Americans would have eaten and used thousands of years ago during a ranger-led hike on Saturday, April 9, at Poverty Point World Heritage Site in Pioneer, beginning at 10 a.m. The 1.5-mile hike will take visitors through a portion of the earthworks with a focus on useful native plants. 

With no modern conveniences available 3,500 years ago, the mound builders at Poverty Point lived a very different existence. This group of hunter-gatherers did not grow their own food. Instead, they relied on the surrounding wilderness as both their supermarket and pharmacy. We will explore the trail and examine plants from an indigenous perspective in mind. This event is weather permitting and visitors should wear appropriate hiking clothing and footwear. 

Poverty Point World Heritage Site offers visitors the unique opportunity to experience and learn about the earthworks and those individuals who raised them from the ground between the years of 1700 and 1100 BCE. The $4 admission fee provides access to the museum, film theatre, hiking trail, driving tour, seasonal tram tour, and any interpretive events taking place at the site. Children (3 and under) and senior citizens (62 and over) are admitted free of charge. 

Poverty Point is located at 6859 Hwy. 577, Pioneer, LA, in West Carroll Parish. The park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call 888-926-5292 toll free or follow the Poverty Point World Heritage Site Facebook page.