Nature center's 'Creatures of the Night' event promotes conservation awareness

An educational program recently held at the Nature Center entertained a crowd of about 500 future conservationists at their third annual "Creatures of the Night" event.

The indoor/outdoor program offered hands-on snake encounters, the chance to visit a mock cave, a hike along the White Oak Trace Trail, hot cider and roasted marshmallows on an open pit and a stroll under a huge spider web canopy to get everyone in a festive spirit.

In an effort to help visitors of all ages understand how the past has affected conservation and to connect people with the land, Nature Center staff and volunteers dressed as various animals and characters performed at stations along the trail lit by jack-o'-lanterns and spotlights.

The fearsome mountain lion paced back and forth explaining how he was plentiful in the early 1900s and that his role as a natural predator for deer and other game kept those populations at a controllable level. The past trend of hunters and farmers to kill mountain lions, left only a few in Missouri. The handful that have returned face a likelihood of being killed by farmers or hunters.

The swamp rabbit, different in appearance to ordinary rabbits, also has the ability to swim. She identified herself as an animal dropping in numbers like the others featured in the program. Loss of habitat due to logging, hunting and especially farming has placed this rabbit on the endangered list in Missouri.

Hannah Melvin, a member of the Jackson High School Art Club, painted a pumpkin on the cheek of Kaileigh Huckabee, 11, Friday during the "Creatures of the Night" event at the Conservation Campus. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

The mighty barn owl delivered its presentation from a barn prop. Helpful to farmers for rodent control, the barn owl's numbers have dwindled as barns are torn down and nesting sites destroyed.

The black bear explained its reputation as vicious was confused with his cousin, the brown bear. Preferring a grub or ant colony and fruit, nuts and berries, the black bear rarely hunts for prey. This confusion led to over hunting that completely removed black bears from Missouri.

The market hunter's place in history speeded up the loss of wildlife and habitat and resources, as did the logger. But their intentions were to feed their families and help a nation to develop. The market hunter advised the audience to give back in a way that's sustainable when nature supplies food and resources to people that need it. The responsibility of conservation was passed on in this way.

"This is an example of a special program but regularly scheduled events for children and adults are going on year round," said Nature Center education specialist Jeremy Sousy.

Call the Nature Center at 290-5218 for more information on its free programs for all ages.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133