Decoys Make a Splash at the Nature Center

In order to make a succesful duck decoy, participants at the recent Duck Decoy Making Workshop at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center had to learn identification techniques for the ducks they hoped to replicate. (Photo by Katie Long)

Cape Girardeau, Mo. -- Families took time to learn how to make duck decoys together this weekend at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center's Duck Decoy Making workshop. Along the way, they also made memories that will last a lifetime.

"My favorite part was learning how to identify the ducks, I didn't know there were so many kinds," said Grace Seabaugh, 9, of Altenburg. Grace attended the workshop with her grandfather, Nick Tibbs, and her sister Mary. Tibbs coached his granddaughters through the process of making a pair of beautiful duck decoys.

The event was part of a series hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Nature Center called Discover Nature Families. In this series the Nature Center hosts events that are usually in the evening or on Saturdays where families can come out and discover nature together through nature crafts, according to Bridget Jackson, Conservation Education Consultant for the MDC.

Participants began the activity with a lump of cork, plastic duck heads, tools, wood putty, and paint. Nature Center volunteers helped as they carved the body of a duck into the cork. Next, they attached the duck-shaped head to the body and wood putty was used to fill in any holes in the cork. The decoys began to really come together as they were painted to look like a blue or green-winged teal.

"The best decoys are the ones that look the most like the actual duck, so what better way to learn your duck species than to create a life-like decoy," Jackson said. Another tool used at the workshop was competition.

Jackson and volunteers also provided information about the history of duck decoys and the biology of different species of ducks found in Missouri. Participants learned the difference between blue and green-winged teal, dabblers vs. divers, and some key traits and characteristics that make the birds unique.

"I learned about the differences between diving ducks and dabbling ducks," said Brandon Tallman, 13, of Jackson. His family made the workshop into a competition to see who could make the best decoy, which is a great technique to make learning a fun and lasting experience, according to event facilitators.

"These participants not only leave with a working decoy, they've made a work of art and valuable memories of a shared nature experience," Jackson said.

For more information on this or other Discover Nature programs, contact the MDC's Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center at (573) 290-5218 or go online to www.MissouriConservation.org.