Retzer Nature Center Final Post

    

    Working with Retzer Nature Center has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  They strive to educate the public about the environment, and its conservation.  Retzer is home to over 400 acres of forest, and is home to many plant and animal species.  One walk through their beautiful trails will change your mind immediately about the importance of preserving such beautiful scenery, at least it did for me.  As part of my volunteer work I helped teach elementary school children about their environment, and how important it is that we preserve it.  One of my favorite activities was walking the trails with the children, which we did multiple times during my time volunteering.  I will be continuing to volunteer with them throughout the summer because it has been such an amazing experience so far.  Beyond exploring the trails with the children, we also did crafts that taught them more about the environment in an interactive and exciting way.  We read stories about the environment, and even played in a tub of mud one day while learning about skunk cabbage. 
     Retzer Nature Center faces some challenges in trying to further their mission, and educate the public about the importance of the environment.  They first have to make preservation and conservation of the environment seem interesting to the public.  Many of us live near trees, bushes, and sometimes even forests, but there are many people in the city that do not get to experience nature on an every day basis like those of us living in the suburbs (and even when we are living in the suburbs it is easy to take nature for granted).  These are the people who are most challenging to reach, and the most challenging to spark an interest in the environment.  Retzer Nature Center does an excellent job of making learning about the environment fun, and they are especially successful with children.  Children are, as we all know, our future, and it is possibly most important to instill in them the motivation many of us lack for taking care of our environment.  In addition to helping the Retzer staff educate the children, I also helped them take care of the live animals they have onsite, and helped the front desk organize their gift shop items, another excellent resource used to excite the public about nature.  Their gift shop is full of books, stuffed animals, nature-related activity kits, and many other fun items to assist children in their education. 
    Although it can sometimes be difficult to get the public excited about the environment, especially busy adults, Retzer is making a great effort.  Their nature center is completely free to the public, which is not usual for state parks/nature centers.  They also hold a wide array of programs, sometimes exploratory, and sometimes educational, that are aimed towards educating adults over children.  The majority of these programs are also free.  They also, as i have stated above, host many field trips for children to come and explore their trails and inside displays.  Even if the children's field trip happens to fall on a rainy day, they have no trouble keeping the children interested indoors.  They have live animals, snakes, birds, frogs, turtles, hamsters, and even some walking stick bugs, to look at. They also have an interactive wall showing what someone might find underneath the grass such as bugs, soil, different layers of rock, etc.  They have also built an amazing planetarium where children can experience a 360 degree view of the solar system, and other exciting aspects of our universe.  The planetarium is accompanied by a small museum.  In addition to these resources, they have displays of birds catching prey to explain prey vs. predator, and they always keep the children occupied with crafts and stories.  I think Retzer is on the right path to educating the public about the importance of conserving our environment, and I think there should be Retzer Nature Centers, or similar organizations with the same goal, in every county in Wisconsin, and hopefully in every state in the country.  Retzer is already trying to expand their mission.  Through a group called Friends of Retzer, they are able to send a group of naturalists to Central America every summer to educate themselves about other environments, and make connections with similar programs in that region.  Hopefully, this program will expand in the future to include other countries, and perhaps other places in the United States, and by doing this, Retzer's mission of educating the public about our environment can hopefully be recognized by people around the globe. 
     After working with Retzer, I think the conservation and preservation of our environment is one of the most important things we can devote our time to as humans.  I have never met a more humble and caring group of people than those at Retzer Nature Center, and I hope to work with them for a very long time.  I would encourage anyone, as I have said before, who is looking for a place to volunteer, to consider applying to Retzer Nature Center.  You will never look at our environment and nature in the same way.  This service learning project was one of the most enlightening and rewarding assignments I have ever had to complete. 

Attached is a link to the 'Friends of Retzer' Global Outreach program if you would like to learn more about it.

http://friendsofretzer.org/global-outreach/

Some children walking the Retzer Trails. 
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Attached is a link for Retzer Nature Center's upcoming special events and info page:

https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/retzernaturecenter/

 



     

Retzer Nature Center

  

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Our view of the stream from the boardwalk during our activity today, 05/03/2017

     Friends of Retzer, a non-profit organization operating in Waukesha County, works to expand the goals of Retzer Nature Center, and educate the public about conservation, the environment, and natural resources.  With over 450 acres of forest, wildlife habitat, nature trails, and environmental learning facilities, Retzer is an important part of the Waukesha County Parks System, and a leader in environmental education. 
     Retzer Nature Center, however, does not only seek to educate the residents of Waukesha County, but aims to educate any who will listen about the natural environment all around us.  Through their environmental learning facilities, they educate school groups in and outside Waukesha County, as well as the public, about animal habitats, environmental issues, and the importance of conservation.  They also travel to schools within Waukesha County, providing fun educational programs for the students.  They also hold frequent community events educating the public about their mission.
Because there is a lack of education concerning the conservation and preservation of the environment in many parts of the world, the causes for Retzer's mission can be considered global.  Although Retzer focuses on educating the public about Wisconsin's environment, many places around the world are in need of a program like the Retzer Nature Center to focus on education.  It is only through of the public that we can improve, conserve, and preserve our environment for future generations. 
     While volunteering with Retzer, I have learned many things about animal habitats, and the many different plant species we have in Wisconsin, that I had either forgotten since I was a child, or had never learned.  I have also observed how simple it is to educate the public, especially children, about the environment, and to get them excited to be a part of its well-being.  Children are extremely enthusiastic about all living things, and all they need is someone to get excited about the environment with.  Through the amazing volunteers and naturalists at Retzer Nature Center, children have the chance to begin their education about the environment young, so when they grow into adulthood, they will be motivated to make a positive difference in the environment. 
     The educators at Retzer use a variety of methods to educate the students and create enthusiasm.  Some of my favorite activities we have done are planting flowers, exploring the trails, and through hands-on activities, observing the abundant animal, insect, and plant life in the forest.  Today we went on a hike with some kindergarteners from Woodside Elementary in Sussex, and visited stations where the naturalists showed us how to collect insects, what kinds of animals, plants and insects live near the streams and ponds at Retzer, and helped us identify an collect them ourselves.  It was extremely interesting, and although I know I was involved in activities like today's as a kid, I did not remember just how fun it was to get a little muddy, and interact with the environment in a positive way.  

Naturalist, Chris, handing out magnifying glasses to the students so they can observe the bugs from the basin more closely. 05/03/2017

 Three students enthusiastically playing with some tadpoles.  05/03/2017

 Chris, naturalist, showing the students a baby turtle.  05/03/2017

 Chris, naturalist, showing the students a frog she caught in the basin.  05/03/2017

Exploring the 'wooded stream' environment with Janet, naturalist on the boardwalk.  05/03/0217

     At Retzer, I have had the chance to be a part of the education, and excitement of the children, while learning a great deal about the environment and its importance.  Because of the education I have received along with the children at Retzer, I have begun to think twice about my impact on the environment, and what I can do to make sure my contribution is positive instead of negative.  My volunteering at Retzer will also extend beyond the requirement for this class, and because the naturalists there are so amazing, I will be continuing to volunteer with them as long as they will let me.  I would recommend to anyone who wants to get involved in the education, conservation, and preservation of our environment, to visit Retzer Nature Center, and fill out a volunteer application.  It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and has changed my understanding of, and the importance of, our environment


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A trail map of Retzer Nature Center.