NATURE CENTER MARKS GOOD FIRST YEAR; TRAIL COMPLETED, DISPLAYS ON WAY TO FACILITY IN PARK

A half-mile trail through a natural area of the Cape Girardeau County North Park has been completed by the Missouri Department of Conservation to complement its regional headquarters/nature center already located in the park.

The regional headquarters opened last August on a tract of land leased to the state by the Cape Girardeau County Commission. As part of the agreement, the conservation department agreed to build a nature trail through a section of the park.

Dennis Steward, regional supervisor for the 13 counties in the Southeast District headquartered here, said nature trails in urban areas are quite popular.

He believes the trail and the nature center are assets to the park as well as his department.

"I think it is working out well for us and for them," said Steward.

Besides the headquarters, which provides office space for 16 people, a storage facility is also located in the park so boats and other equipment owned by the department can be kept in one central location.

The trail, designed by a department naturalist and forester, is located just a short distance from the headquarters.

Besides the circular trail, the conservation department has completed work on a new restroom (to replace one that was torn down to make room for the headquarters construction) and a parking lot next to the trail.

The blacktop trail is named the Maple Hollow Trail and provides park visitors a self-guided trek through the River Hills area, which Steward says is unique in Missouri.

"People walking on this trail have a good chance of seeing wildlife," said Steward. "There are a lot of deer, squirrel and song birds."

Five bridges are located along the trail, which give hikers a unique view of plants and wildlife. The changing seasons will also make the trail look different throughout the year.

A field along the trail will be planted next spring with Missouri wildflowers, Steward said. He added that every effort is being made to keep the trail area as natural-looking as possible.

"The attractiveness of this trail is that it is close to town and it does not take a lot of effort to get here," said Steward, pointing out that the temperature along the trail is usually several degrees cooler than in the rest of the park and absent of highway noises and other sounds of the city.

Steward said the conservation department has between $25,000 and $30,000 invested in the trail. He noted that the construction was a joint effort between the county park department and his department. County park crews are also assisting in keeping the trail clean and maintained.

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said he believes the trail will be a real asset to the park and noted that the partnership with the conservation department and the county has been a good one.

"We are quite pleased with this trail and certainly think our citizens will enjoy it and benefit from it," said Huckstep.

"It's worked real well," added Steward. "We have good cooperation from the park department and the county commission. This is a real nice place to work. I can't say enough about the cooperation; the parks are well kept and this is a pleasant setting."

Steward said the permanent displays in the headquarters are not yet ready, but he anticipates having them in by November. A few temporary displays are in place now.

Once the displays are in place, Steward said an open house will likely be held later in the year.

The headquarters is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Steward said there has been some discussion about having weekend hours for visitors, but at this point no funding is available. It could be considered in the future.

A meeting room in the headquarters provides a place for staff to conduct programs, hunter education training courses, and for nature and wildlife related organizations to meet.

Since the first of the year, Steward said there have been 91 events scheduled in the meeting room.

Besides the displays, the regional office also has staff to assist people with problems and to provide information. Most of the books and brochures printed by the Department of Conservation are available there.

Steward noted that staff is available to give programs for groups, but stressed organized programs need to be arranged in advance.

Steward said use of the facility has been increasing, and visits by tour buses are common.

"A lot of people come in for a specific problem or help," he noted. "More people are coming in as we become more visible."

Since moving to the county park from the old office on North Kingshighway, Steward said walk-in visitors have increased from about 75 a week to 175 a week. Telephone calls have gone up from an average of 570 a week to 850 a week.

Hunting and fishing permits can also be purchased at the office, and damaged or lost hunter certificate cards can also be replaced at this office.