FAIRFIELD – Inclement weather condition on Wednesday, Aug. 2, required Jefferson County Conservation to cancel its Outdoor Adventure Night, however thankfully it was not an overall loss as the preservation department had the ability to schedule an indoor program on reptiles to take its location.
Jefferson County Naturalist Brittney Tiller said she was “bummed” when rain began to fall that day while she was establishing for the Outdoor Adventure Program, which had actually already been rescheduled from the week in the past since of extreme heat. The program includes kayaking, canoeing, treking, fishing, archery and a BB shoot, however regrettably there was no other way to get it in with the harsh weather condition.
Hoping to restore something positive from the day, Tiller scheduled an unscripted program on reptiles, where the general public was welcomed to discover and even hold the turtles and snake that live at the Jefferson County Nature Center. The center held 3 different sessions that night, and the overall presence was 90, which Tiller said she was extremely happy with.
“I was really pleased that we were able to do something,” Tiller said. “We thought we might have too many people if we tried to do just one program, so we split it up into three, and each hour was well attended.”
The reptiles that live at the nature center consist of a box turtle, a painted turtle and a map turtle, so called since the shape lines on its shell look like a map. The box turtle was someone’s animal at one time, which individual contributed it to the nature center. For the other turtles, preservation staff members found them in the wild and brought them back to live at the nature center. Tiller said the turtles will be launched back into the wild once they get too huge for their enclosures.
The snake that Tiller revealed the crowd was a corn snake, likewise called a red snake, which is nonvenomous. According to reptilia.org, it’s unclear where the snake’s name originated from, however one theory is that it got its name by spending time grain shops where it victimized mice and rats. Another theory is that its name originated from its checkered pattern on its stubborn belly, which looks like kernels of Indian corn.
Tiller said she delights in integrating the reptiles at the nature center into different programs. She said it’s especially crucial to inform kids about snakes, so they’re not scared of them.
“We want a kid’s first experience with a snake to be positive,” Tiller said. “We want them to see that these are cool and interesting animals, and that we don’t need to kill or fear them.”
Tiller said she is grateful for the assistance of summertime intern Lauren Snyder, who is completing her 3rd year as a summertime intern with Jefferson County Conservation.
“She has picked up so much slack,” Tiller said. “Without her, we couldn’t do all the summer programming that we offer.”
Also helping in this year’s summertime shows was Van Buren County Naturalist Chloe Proffitt, who is likewise Van Buren County’s very first biologist. Tiller discussed that the 2 counties like to team up on shows, such as joint programs at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park in Keosauqua.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at [email protected]
