JONESBORO -- A striped skunk was available for petting during a "Bioblitz" fund-raiser Saturday at the Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in Jonesboro.

Blake Grisham, president of the Arkansas State University Wildlife Society, held "Stinky" while children were allowed to get up close and personal.

Children also could feel mammal skins and hold mammal skulls "for hands-on learning" on the observation floor of the Nature Center, Grisham said.

Approximately a dozen members of the society turned out to operate stations. Dr. Thomas Risch, assistant professor of environmental biology at ASU, led a bluebird seminar for children and their parents. A bluebird tour was also led by society members.

A bird identification station was set up. It included a bird feeder observation and a duck wing display.

Dr. Tanja McKay, assistant professor of entomology at ASU, spoke about butterflies.

Other events included face painting, crafts and Native American story telling.

"This gets the kids' curiosity about lifestyles up," Grisham said. "It's aimed toward families and children. At night, we will have a special night prowl where we go listening for owls and frogs and also to look for fireflies."

Patrons who had signed the guest book Saturday were from Jonesboro, Paragould, Trumann and Sherwood, and from as far away as Nevada, Washington and Virginia.

Grisham said this year was the first time for the Bioblitz and things were going as planned. He is hopeful that the fund-raiser, which was just an experiment this year, can continue as an annual event.

The society collected donations for ASU Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer research.