Cerro Gordo County online

OUTDOOR TIPS

BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST

Citizen science engages volunteers in a collaborative effort with scientific researchers to collect and submit ecological information and data.

Here are a few reasons why citizen science is so great:

• Increases your understanding of your environment

• Get to know your area better

• Spend time outside

• Contribute valuable data to scientific research

• Collects a large and diverse pool of data to analyze

• Gather more data over long periods of time and large geographic areas

• Promotes environmental stewardship and engagement in natural resource management

• A way to exchange and disseminate information

There are dozens of citizen science program and projects for you to get involved with - from birds at Project FeederWatch (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/), to frogs at Iowa Frog and Toad Survey (http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/

NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys/FrogToadCallSurvey.aspx), to water quality at IOWATER (http://www.iowater.net/), to the night sky at GLOBE at Night (http://www.globeatnight.org/) - depending on your interests. A great one to get started with is the Great Back Yard Bird Count coming up in February. Go to the website below for more information and how to get involved in this annual citizen science event.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

DONATION FROM MASON CITY MORNING KIWANIS

We are excited to announce that the Mason City Morning Kiwanis is funding a series of exciting and educational programs for youth at the Lime Creek Nature Center.

Each of the programs will include special guest speakers and a favorite of children - live animals! And thanks to the generosity of the Morning Kiwanis, all are free of charge!

• On January 16 guest speaker Jim Gerholdt will present The Remarkable Reptiles.  This fascinating program will include artifacts as well as live snakes and other reptiles.

• The Iowa State University Entomology Department will be at Lime Creek on February 13 with their popular Insect Zoo program.  Children will be captivated by the variety of live insects at this very hands-on presentation.

• The Zoomobile from the Minnesota Zoo will visit on March 12.  This special program will bring the magic of the zoo right to the nature center for kids of all ages to enjoy.

• Finally, the Iowa State University Wildlife Care Clinic will present a raptor program on April 16 featuring live birds of prey, providing a rare opportunity to observe these magnificent birds up close.

These four fantastic programs will be a big hit with kids, and even if you are a “big” kid, you are welcome to attend as well!  Please call 641-423-5309 to register or for more information.

Thank you to the Mason City Morning Kiwanis for providing this wonderful educational opportunity for our youth!

FEEDER CAM

The Lime Creek Nature Center has installed a feeder cam thanks to a generous donation by The Basic Birder in Mason City.  The Hawkeye Nature Camera allows you to get an up close look at the birds visiting our feeders.  Because the camera is wired for sound, you can also hear their sweet melodies.  Just one more reason to make a trip out to Lime Creek today!

NEW MOUNTS IN NATURE CENTER

The Lime Creek Nature Center has some new mounts for display, thanks to our Critter Stuffer's Club.

Pictured below are:  bobcat - sponsored by Al & Rita Goranson; great horned owl (in honor of Sawyer Goetz) and American Crow - sponsored by Barb and Steve Goetz; red-tailed hawk - sponsored by Steve Perry.

The crow, owl, and hawk are on display at Lime Creek.  The bobcat will be on display in the near future.

Want to join our Critter Stuffer's Club?  To become a member, choose a critter you would like to sponsor (to pay for the cost of mounting) and give us a call.  The critter you fund for mounting will be used for display and educational programs.

Current critter awaiting a sponsor:  white-fronted goose - $280.

Gary Cole"Friend of Lime Creek"

The Lime Creek Nature Center recently recognized its volunteers with a dinner and ceremony at the nature center.  Following the dinner, the annual meeting of the Lime Creek Nature Center Foundation was held.

Gary Cole of Rockford was presented with the "Friend of Lime Creek" award for his many years of service as a volunteer hunter education instructor in the North Iowa area.

This award honors individuals, families, and organizations for exceptional efforts in the area of conservation education and support of the Lime Creek Nature Center's mission.

Cole has been teaching hunter education for 24 years now, the last 13 as Chief Instructor for Cerro Gordo County.  He oversees an average of 100 students per year in his hunter education classes.

"I got involved in the program because of my love for the sport of hunting and wildlife," Cole said.  "I wanted to do something to make sure our sport would be around for our children to enjoy and get excited about.  This award is an honor for me.  It means I do make a difference and other people see it."

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PROJECT AT LIME CREEK

The Lime Creek Nature Center's wind energy project is completed and fully operational.

The latest addition, a computer touch screen display inside the center, is currently monitoring the system's wind and solar energy output and weather conditions.  This display is available to nature center visitors for a "hands-on" educational experience with the alternative energy system.  The public is invited and encouraged to stop out and give it a try!

Plans are in the works to develop a curriculum for school students to help them learn about alternative energy systems in the classroom and on field trips to Lime Creek Nature Center.

Interpretive signage will also be added to the touch screen display to make it more user friendly for nature center visitors.

The 35-foot, 2,500 watt wind turbine provides an impressive site and can be viewed at "close range" on the restored prairie north of the parking lot.  Eight 130-watt solar panels can be observed on the open air shelter located in the picnic area adjacent to the restored prairie.

These two components have been installed to create a "hybrid" alternative energy system that provides power to the Cerro Gordo County Conservation Board shop, where the power generated by this system is stored in eight 6-volt batteries.  Two 3,600 watt DC/AC inverters convert stored power from the batteries into usable electricity for the shop.

The goal is for the solar panels and turbine to provide 100% power for the shop, but the system will automatically revert to standard electricity if necessary.  The system also has the capability to run off of the batteries if the utility grid goes down.

The total cost for this project was $87,965.  Half of it was funded by the conservation board's Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) account, and the other half by the Lime Creek Nature Center Foundation's Dorothy Curtis Trust account.

The Lime Creek Nature Center's alternative energy system provides a demonstrational facility for renewable energy; specifically a hybrid (solar/wind) system to show integration into existing buildings.  This cost-effective system reduces carbon emissions and supports a healthier natural environment in accord with the nature center's educational mission.

For more information on this project, contact the Lime Creek Nature Center at 641-423-5309.