One enjoyable aspect of the Marion County Community Foundation Grant has been bringing Big Rock Park to those who can't make it to our forays in the park. Several local experts have brought programs about bees, reptiles and amphibians, and Native American culture to residents of county care facilities.
Biologist Dr Paulina Mena took this selfie (above) with her crowd at Fairhaven, where she gave a presentation on bees. The crowd was lively and she said, "The experience was super rewarding. The audience was very engaged and had great questions! It was also cool to hear their experiences with bees. For example, one person talked about her experience beekeeping with her dad when she was a child. She remembered catching swarms and tasting the honey. Another person asked me about the benefits of consuming local honey. It’s thought that it may help prevent allergies because it exposes people to the local pollen so their immune system doesn't overreact."
Biologist Dr. Nicole Lander's presentation on reptiles and amphibians in Iowa prompted many residents at local care facilities to share memories of hunting snakes, toads, and frogs with their parents. One man remembered finding a large bull snake!
Randy Rollfs gave presentations on the park's Native American heritage. He explained the various time periods of indigenous people dating back 13,500 years in North American and up to the present and that the Big Rock Park area was a very central part of their lives in all time periods.
He explained the various time periods of indigenous people dating back 13,500 years in North American and up to the present.
He included some facts about their day to day lives. He then finished with presenting and explaining various artifacts including arrowheads, chert knives, axes, and pipes and how they were relied on. Attendees had great questions and dialog about their own knowledge of indigenous people. Randy said, "I really appreciated everyone’s encouragement and being very attentive. Hopefully, we all learned a bit more about our indigenous people’s history." Throughout, Randy attempted to present a very respectful tone for the indigenous people.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Pella Community Foundation, Friends of Big Rock Park plans to continue bringing the park to others in 2025.