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February 7, 2009

Volunteers spruce up Wildcat nature center

By Debbie Robinson

news@joplinglobe.com

John Greenwood and a crew of volunteers built a sign to mark wetlands Saturday near the pond for a work day at the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center.

“I like being outside, and I love the people I meet,” said Greenwood, of Joplin, who has volunteered there for the past six months.

Grandmother Karen Grimes, of Carl Junction, brought three generations of her family with her to volunteer for the work day.

They were cutting down “scraggly” trees, pouring concrete to set new posts and clearing trails.

Her grandson, Tanner Grimes, 9, of Webb City, volunteered because he is working on becoming a junior master naturalist.

Tanner said they were collecting invasive tree saplings and creating brush piles to provide cover for rabbits and other wildlife.

Other volunteers repaired cable and posts at trailheads and lined sidewalk edges with mulch.

Brent Diskin, maintenance supervisor, said about 30 volunteers, armed with gloves, shovels and brooms, worked at various jobs, including removing invasive species, such as the climbing Burning Bush, he said.

“It can climb up the trees and eventually smother the tree,” he said.

Volunteer help is the lifeblood of the center, he added.

“We’re really short-staffed here,” he said. “To have these work days is very beneficial.”

As for the digging of a narrow trench along the sidewalk and filling it with cedar mulch, Diskin said the project would have taken him all day.

“These guys did it in two hours,” he said.

Colton Stewart, 14, of Neosho was preparing mulch that would line the sidewalks.

“I want to help ... and my mom made me,” he said.

His sister, Rosie Stewart, 12, said she enjoyed the volunteer work.

“It’s fun, and you get to do different things.”

Their mother, Deana Stewart, said she wanted her children to be involved in giving back.

“It’s character-building,” she said. “It’s good to give back to the community.”



Nature center

The Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center in Wildcat Park features a 1,300-gallon aquarium, a children’s indoor discovery area, walking trails, a chert glade, five outdoor learning stations and three classrooms for educational programs. Another work day is tentatively scheduled for April, when the center will receive a shipment of trees.

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