RECYCLED NTURE CENTER WON'T BE CHEAP

The nature center to be built in Cape Girardeau County North Park and the conservation-related exhibits both inside and out should offer something for everyone, but it will come at a price.

The single-level, 20,000-square-foot building, which is being called a "conservation campus" that will serve as a learning center for youngsters and an interesting, fun place for adults to visit, will be a lovely addition to the county park. The Missouri Conservation Department, which is building it, is expected to award a construction contract in December, and it should be finished by June 2003.

Exhibits inside the center will focus on hunting, fishing and forests. It will contain a large lobby, two classrooms, a multipurpose room and a 150-seat auditorium. A 3,500-square-foot exhibit area will include a large aquarium featuring Mississippi River fish. There will be a working beehive, a replica of an 1800s trapper's cabin and a table where visitors can control the vibration in a demonstration of the power of an earthquake. A collection of stone knives, grinding stones and other American Indian artifacts will be displayed. A resource center for teachers will contain videos and conservation-related lesson plans.

Outside will be hiking trails through 50 acres of woods, a playground with natural-looking models of native animals to climb on, gardens featuring habitat for birds and insects and edibles and the types of plants that would have been cultivated by American Indians in the region. A fishing pier will be constructed on the existing smaller pond in the park, and it will be turned into a marsh with a boardwalk for wildlife viewing.

The center, which will become the state's fifth, is expected to cost $7.3 million. The conservation department has budgeted $4.75 million, and the rest is expected to come from private donations raised by the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. Cape Girardeau County will issue bonds to finance it, and the state will pay them off.

Much of the building will be constructed with recycled materials and contain environmentally friendly features, which largely is responsible for the price tag. Typical construction would cost considerably less.

It is estimated 100,000 people will visit the center annually, an impressive number of visitors. An environmentally friendly atmosphere is a great attribute of a nature center, but the benefit of such a large investment just for the sake of environmental political correctness is questionable.