Jefferson County Nature Center gets ‘facelift’

FAIRFIELD – The Jefferson County Conservation Nature Center has undergone a “facelift” this winter.

Conservation officials saw that it was time to update the large classroom on the west side of the building. They ripped out the carpet, gave the walls and ceilings a fresh coat of paint, and put down new carpet. The old baseboard heaters were removed, and the light fixtures now have LED lightbulbs so they give off more light.

The nature center was built in the early 1980s, but the original building did not include the large classroom with all the displays. The classroom was added about 10 years later in 1990.

Jefferson County Conservation Executive Director Shawn Morrissey said this is the second year in a row that county conservation has upgraded a portion of the nature center. Last winter, the front offices were gutted. New drywall, a furnace and central air conditioning were installed.

“This is the same facility as before, but with a nice facelift,” Morrissey said.

Morrissey said this most recent renovation was done mostly in December and January, and that it’s about 95 percent complete. He said it was done during the dead of winter so it would be less of an inconvenience to the public, and during a time when there are fewer school field trips to the nature center.

Jefferson County Naturalist Brittney Tiller said she’s been hosting programs even through the renovation.

“The nature center is really functional and works well,” she said. “But with the wear and tear of having so many people come every year, we needed to do some cosmetic updates to get it looking good again.”

Tiller said the nature center will get new display cabinets soon. A few of the old display cases are starting to show their age.

“They’re probably 30 years old, and they were not new when we got them,” Tiller said. “We’re going to switch them out with ones that are more versatile. They’ll have wheels so they’ll be easy to move, and be custom-built to the needs of the nature center. They will be great.”

Upcoming programs

Though winter might be the nature center’s “slow time,” the conservation department is still hosting programs on a regular basis both in Jefferson County and in neighboring counties, such as the stargazing program it just hosted Saturday with Henry County Conservation.

The conservation department’s upcoming programs include:

Wednesday, Feb. 9: Toddler Time, from 9-10 a.m. Children between the ages of 2-4 are invited to visit the nature center for a brief program followed by a hike. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Wednesday, Feb. 9: Homeschool Adventures, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Homeschool students are invited to explore the park.

Thursday, Feb. 10: Mussels Program, from 6-7 p.m. Travel to Lacey-Keosauqua State Park’s main lodge just south of Keosauqua for this program on freshwater mussels, which are important to stream ecology and biodiversity. The program is hosted by Vance Polton, a fisheries technician with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Saturday, Feb. 26: Birding the Carnegie, from 11 a.m. to noon at Carnegie Historical Museum in Fairfield. This is a joint venture between the conservation department and Carnegie Historical Museum. Therese Cummiskey of the Carnegie Historical Museum will lead a program on the taxidermied bird displays at the museum.

Saturday, March 5: Winter Tree ID Hike, from 2-3 p.m. at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park main lodge. Iowa DNR District Forester Cassidy Robinson will lead a hike through the forest, teaching participants how to identify trees based on characteristics beside leaves such as twigs, buds and bark.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com