DECATUR — The Shinzato family traveled 6,300 miles to discover something many local families still haven’t figured out: the Macon County Conservation District does a lot of very cool stuff.
One recent Sunday afternoon featured an educational program at the district’s Rock Springs Nature Center called “Feed The Animals.” Visitors learned what the center’s captive wildlife population, ranging from turtles to fish, frogs, salamanders and snakes, consider haute cuisine: menu choices included worms, minnows, crickets and fruits and veggies.
Japanese couple Izuru Shinzato and his wife Miki looked on as son Daiki, 8, and 5-year-old daughter Lumi overcame their fears and touched a 12-inch-long northern water snake that was rather partial to minnows.
“In Japan, we do not have experiences like this in our schools,” said Izuru Shinzato, who arrived with his family in August to work for a subsidiary of a Japanese company in Chicago. “I think this is good for the kids, to touch and see these animals right in front of them, to understand how they behave. In Japan, kids might watch a video, but they cannot touch.”
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Shinzato learned about the Rock Springs center on the Internet and decided to bring the family down for a “short treat.” He was surprised to learn that other potential visitors living a short car ride away have never made the trip.
“We’re so close to Decatur, and yet we meet people who don’t even realize there is just so much you can do here,” said Alexandria Reed, a marketing specialist with the conservation district, charged with turning that situation around.
“We’re trying to get the word out every way we can,” she said.
Rock Springs Nature Center is home to activities and educational programs almost every Saturday and Sunday and often during the week. A glance through the upcoming list reveals everything from spring hikes to building a wren house to bluegrass music jams to photography and quilt shows.
The conservation district also runs the circa 1860 Homestead Prairie Farm, a short walk from the nature center, where costumed volunteers introduce visitors to the life and crafts of their pioneer ancestors. And then there are other Conservation District properties, such as the Decatur home of former Illinois Gov. Richard Oglesby, preserved as if he had just stepped out to meet his good friend Abraham Lincoln, and frequently the scene of costumed presentations about the past.
Many programs at all locations are geared towards children and might feature anything from a guided walk in the woods to a craft to take home.
Adults will find plenty to learn and do, too: How about a guided evening trip to learn about the forest at twilight? Or why not sit back and listen to a concert of pre-World War II blues music?
You name it, they do it, and the programs are either free or feature a small charge. Participants, for example, can learn cross-country skiing, weather permitting, for just $12, which includes the use of skis, boots and poles; and it’s only $4 if you bring your own skis.
“People say ‘What? Skiing? You ski out there?” said Jeff Tish, the conservation district’s program services manager. “That is the magic of having that opportunity through the programs we run to give people a little taste of something fun like skiing, to show them the possibilities.”
Tish said the conservation district was created in 1966, while the current nature center building opened in 1989, and sits amid more than 1,300 acres of pristine forest, river valley, prairie and wetland, preserved the way the first Illinois settlers had seen it and also crisscrossed with hiking trails.
“Once people find out about us, they always leave happy,” Tish said. “It’s beautiful out here, and there are so many things to do.”
treid@herald-review.com|421-7977
