Naturalist offering educational videos

    COUNTY – Shelby County and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Naturalist Christina Roelofs is creating educational videos for students and others who are interested in nature during this COVID-19 pandemic.
    Roelofs was a regular in area school districts every school year, providing enrichment opportunities for students on everything from snakes and furs to eagles and owls.  She also provides public programs on canoeing, hiking and animals.  The recent coronavirus outbreak and subsequent shutdown of school districts has forced Roelofs to improvise.
    Hence, the videos.
    “I had thought about this idea a couple of weekends ago,” Roelofs said.  “I contacted some of the other naturalists in the state to see what all of them are doing.  Many of them are doing the same things in a variety of different ways.”
    “Since I can’t go to school right now or host any public programs, we figure this is a way to still do environmental education,” she added.  “So far I have done one video on my bull snake eating, talking about snake adaptations, and two videos of prescribed burns.
    “In one of those videos I talk about the process and why we do them.  In the other video it’s just the fire so people can see and hear the sounds of it, to think about what it would have been like living on the prairie a long time ago.”
    Roelofs has other ideas in the hopper as well, including showing a beaver dam.  “On days when the weather isn’t nice, I’ll do videos featuring my education animals,” she said.  “I also plan on putting together some videos including my kids to show some activities that people can do at home.”
    She’s embracing technology as everyone attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  “(But) I miss the ability to have that one-on-one contact with people to form better connections,” she said.  

Available to the public
    As of this week, the videos are available on the Friends of Prairie Rose Facebook page, and the Shelby County Conservation Board Facebook page.  Residents can follow those pages.  Harlan Municipal Utilities also may be showing the videos soon.
    The videos have been shared with school teachers, who are uploading them as educational enrichment for their students.
    “With the snake video, I’ve had around 30 teachers request the link,” Roelofs said.  School districts include Harlan Community, AHSTW, Exira-EHK, IKM-Manning and Tri-Center.  Roelofs expects the number of teachers utilizing the videos to increase as word gets out.
    “I know this video has been used by multiple teachers as part of their e-learning.  We do have people across the DNR working on these videos also that we hope to have available on more of a statewide level eventually.”
    Roelofs said environmental education is her passion, and she hopes Shelby County-area residents will tune in.  “This is one way for people to experience nature even when they can’t be close to others out in nature,” she said.  “Teachers always tell me that kids love it when I come in.  When teachers send links to their students for these videos, they can still hear from me.
    “I’m hoping that it will help supplement their learning, just as a regular in-school program or field trip would.”

Parks open
    Shelby County Conservation is doing what it can to still serve the citizens of Shelby County.  The offices and Nature Center at Nishna Bend Recreation Area are closed to the public.
    “We hope that things are back to normal soon, but we also know it may take awhile,” Roelofs said.   Summer camps and programs at Prairie Rose State Park may be held as scheduled, but a final decision will be made later.  “Some of these programs may have to be canceled, or we will do alternative things to keep people from gathering too close together while still continuing to educate,” she said.
    State parks remain open, but all restrooms are shut for now, including pit latrines.  Camping is allowed if a camper has its own bathroom.  County parks will open April 15, but restrooms won’t be open until May 1.
    Gates are closed at many of the county parks just because roads are soft.  People can still park their vehicles and walk in to use the parks.