AUDUBON SOCIETY HOLDS NATURE TRAIL WALK

Bicyclists, walkers, nature lovers and families out for an afternoon outing enjoyed the sunshine as they made their way along the Cape LaCroix Nature Trail at the Osage Centre. Donna Maguire, education chairman for the Four Seasons Audubon Society, wanted to draw attention to the trail and organized Sunday's nature walk.

"The walk is a way to make people aware of conservation, a way for them to enjoy nature and to expose people to the many aspects of our natural world," said Dan Straubel, the society's president.

Stations were set up at various points along the trail. Hikers could learn how to identify birds, trees, plants and aquatic critters native to Missouri. Skins on loan from the conservation department helped with identifying native Missouri mammals.

Ida Domazlicky has always been interested in wildlife. She has been a member of the Four Seasons Audubon Society for the past 20 years and has written naturalist columns for various publications.

"This is just a whole family activity," she said of the event.

Domazlicky shared the steps in bird identification with Sunday's participants.

"There are five things to look for," she said. "Shape, colors, size, location and activity (what it is doing)." A great help to those just beginning is Peterson's Field Guide, which identifies different birds by major field marks.

Kent Miller and Shannon Hess, scientists with Environmental Analysis, displayed some of Missouri's more common aquatic animals. Youngsters were encouraged to use a magnifying glass.

"This is a fun thing for everybody to do," said Ann Moreland of Cape Girardeau. "It gets the kids away from the television for awhile and helps them understand nature."

Moreland and her husband Tom were among a group of parents who accompanied their children on the nature excursion. Victoria Lowes, daughter of David and Edith Lowes of Cape Girardeau, and Sylvia Christy, daughter of Mary Christy of Cape Girardeau, decided they wanted to do some nature events this year.

The pair gathered a group of friends for the first of several events they have planned for the summer. Mira Pupek, 11, likes nature, "if they'd cut out all the bugs," she said. Brittany Halter, 12, selected a frog design from the wildlife tattoos that were available.

"I like its pretty colors," she said.