Richard Leopold - Jester Park Nature Center

Spring is on the rise! We got a sneak peek look at Jester Park's new Nature Center from Polk County Conservation Director, Richard Leopold. This upcoming Nature Center is geared to open Earth Day 2018 and is going to be used as a "base of operations" for educational use, recreational use, and as a gateway to the outdoors. A STEM-based curriculum will be infused in a variety of nature studies offered at the Center, along with teacher externships and project-based learning opportunities. The Nature Center will also be used as a place of recreation. Rental facilities offer cross country skis, insect nets, fishing poles, binocular/bird book combo, etc. It was exciting to learn about new ways to reconnect with nature. We can't wait to go try it out for ourselves!