Natural development

When conservation supervisor A.J. Hendershott walks among the unfinished concrete walls of a nature center in a Cape Girardeau park, his eyes see nothing more than a skeleton of a building.

Drywall needs to be plastered and sanded; electrical wires dangle from holes in the wall; glass windows wait to be inserted; exhibits need to be built before the Missouri Department of Conservation's newest jewel is presented several months from now.

But Hendershott's heart sees a different picture. It sees children crawling through a replica of a beaver dam; it sees them looking through an aquarium at fish found in the rivers here. It sees youths learning how and when to shoot a gun while hunting; how to clean a fish; how the region's first inhabitants made fishing rods.

With every whir of a drill, every scream of a saw, Hendershott senses that his eyes and his heart are coming into focus.

"It's like looking at an ultrasound," he said. "The more pictures you get along the way, the more it looks like a baby."

On Tuesday, workers were pouring the entrance sidewalk for the nature center located in the north section of County Park. Most of the work on the outside of the building is finished with the exception of the landscaping. The landscape, including a marshy pond, will be as big a part of the nature center as anything found on the inside.

A two-mile nature trail system, to be called White Oak Trace, is being built to complement the nature center. The trail, funded with a grant, will accommodate those in wheelchairs.

Hendershott said the building should be ready for a public opening by spring next year.

The facility is getting some local funding from the Southeast Missouri chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation.

Tim Schwent of the Bootheel Boss Gobblers chapter said the local turkey enthusiasts will pay for a laser shooting system, a virtual reality range that simulates hunting conditions. It's a tool to teach hunter safety.

He said the group is also sponsoring an outdoor game-calling exhibit where hunters will be able to practice their calls.

In all, the group is donating $35,000 for the exhibits, all earned from an annual fund-raising banquet.

Schwent has visited the building on several occasions, and he's as excited about the opportunities for those who aren't outdoor enthusiasts as he is for those who are.

"Most of us who go out and fish and hunt see it live," he said. "This will be neat for those who don't interact much outdoors."

A chance to learn

Henderschott said the nature center will provide many educational opportunities for local schools.

One small room will be completely dedicated as a library for teaching materials.

"History, art, music -- if you can find a discipline, I can guarantee we will have something to help teach that discipline," Henderschott said. "Children are drawn to nature. Why not use squirrels as a way to teach math?"

Henderschott said the nature center will be sensitive to and change with the curriculum and teaching requirements of the state's educational system.

While the building is being prepared for exhibits, artists are preparing the exhibits themselves. Taylor Studios from Rantoul, Ill., is the primary contractor.

Taylor has subcontracted with Mike Kahle, a Jackson resident who makes lifelike animals for museum displays.

Kahle is making a fish reproduction exhibit. He is recreating likenesses of several fish species, including alligator gar, different types of catfish, bass as well as crappie and bluegill.

"This isn't your typical nature center," said Kahle, whose work has been showcased all over the world. "This is all more out in the open, more interactive stuff that you can touch and feel as opposed as to looking through glass cases."

The nature center will cost $4.75 million. There will be no cost for using the facility. It's a service paid for with the statewide one-eighth cent sales tax.

Henderschott said people will be charged for supplies if taking a class.

Henderschott believes the nature center will be a huge draw for the region. A similar center in Springfield, Mo., draws 200,000 people a year.

He's optimistic that the center may draw that by the third or fourth year, considering the county park where the center is located already draws more than 100,000 a year.

But to Henderschott, the center is more about conservation education than tourism. He said the center is a way to bring people in tune with nature and a way to draw the community together.

"I see this being a community nature center," he said. "Not a conservation department nature center."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635