Has your child or grandchild ever come home from school and excitedly reported that Katie Cantu or Greg Oldsen came to visit? Did you have any idea what they were talking about? First of all, we do hope they are excited about our visits, but also importantly, we want you to know who we are as well.
The Jasper County Conservation Board employs two full-time naturalists. The positions are funded by the people of Jasper County through property taxes. Additional funding for the school programs comes from Jasper County’s school districts. We work closely with all our districts to develop conservation programs and field trips that fit with the schools’ curriculum, but really it is our job to reach people of all ages, to create an awareness of natural resources and an appreciation of the natural world in which we live.
One question I get all the time from students, especially those looking to pursue a career in conservation, is, “what is a typical day of your job like?” Probably the best thing is, there is no typical day. Seeing five school districts, working outdoors in about 3,000 acres of park land, experiencing outdoor programming in Iowa’s four seasons, answering tough wildlife questions and being presenters for everything from libraries to garden clubs, on the radio and in newspapers, we really do cover the county pretty well. We also spend a lot of time creating newsletters and informational brochures, writing grants and working on equipment. When we have some spare time from programs, we will be out working with other conservation staff, helping burn a prairie or working on other park projects.
Some of our favorite places to offer programs include Mariposa Park, Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve and Ashton Wildwood Park. We plan public events at our parks such as a spring wildflower hike, annual fishing derby, canoeing and kayaking paddles, a trail race, monarch butterfly tagging, the Halloween Hike, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and many more. We coordinate two hunter education courses with the Iowa DNR every year so that students can get their certification to hunt. These are held at the Newton Izaak Walton League. We also offer a very popular monthly program called OWLS — Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Jasper County Armory/Annex Building to hear various speakers and take part in outdoor-related activities.
We have planned many summer camps for kids this year, ages 5 and up. If you know a child who loves animals and the outdoors, they will enjoy taking part in summer camps. Fishing, photography, nature art, survival skills, archery, kayaking and bird banding are just a few activities that we will cover.
So how do you find out about our programs? The best way is to sign up for our free quarterly newsletter, The Jasper County Jewel. The newsletter and other program posters are on our website, www.jaspercountyconservation.com. You can also like us on Facebook.
The great thing about your county conservation board is that it is yours. We have worked hard to build relationships with our schools and the public, and continue to develop programming that best fits the needs of our local communities. Every kid in the county should know Katie Cantu and Greg Oldsen and hopefully have some pretty awesome memories of field trips and classroom visits. We just hope that we leave them with a greater understanding and appreciation of the world around them. But it doesn’t just stop at graduation — our wildlife and natural resources depend on everyone continuing to learn and doing their part to make this a great place to live.
Contact Katie Cantu at
641- 792-9780 or