Thank-you to the Pella Community Foundation for funding our grant Connecting With Nature: Programs for all ages
Connecting with nature has numerous health and civic benefits. When people experience the natural world, it brings them together and promotes community “connection, purpose, and belonging.” (1) According to the American Psychological Association, being in nature or viewing images of nature reduces stress and increases feelings of well-being. (2) Pella’s Big Rock Park (BRP) was gifted to all of Pella’s citizens by the Kuyper family in 1958. It is a prize and unique in Iowa, a wilderness area with 83 acres of forests, streams and trails. Technically a bur oak Savanna, it is one of the rarest plant communities on earth. The Friends of Big Rock Park became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2020, but the organization was formed in 1998 by Dr. Mary Stark and Dr. Stephen Johnson and a group of volunteers in order to protect and steward Big Rock Park. The group works with the City of Pella’s Park Services to provide educational experiences within the park for the public and students as well as to present to local schools about the importance of conservation. Currently, the Friends of Big Rock Park are looking to continue their educational enrichment opportunities for the citizens of Pella with a three-fold approach.
1. Grade school level. Classroom presentations with photos will help children be able to recognize wildlife and appreciate the natural world. Students will be given a copy of a nature guide to important species at the park and the guide will be available on our webpage. A selection of presentations by local scientists and scientific education outreach professionals will be made available to local schools with the target audience being 4th-5th graders.
2. Community level. Monthly nature walks in April, May, June, September, and October. These walks will unite ambulatory people of all ages to de-stress and experience the park as a group. Each hour-long walk will be led by guides familiar with the park and an aspect of its natural wonders or native history. Although the guides will share information, the main purpose of the walks will be recreational.
3. Aging population. Not everyone is able to come to the park, but they can still experience its beauty and wonder. Programs on the flora, fauna, and native heritage of Big Rock Park will be given to our citizens in assisted living facilities by local scientists and scientific education outreach professionals.
1. Zelenski, J.; Warber, S.; Robinson, J.M.; Logan, A.C.; Prescott, S.L. Nature Connection: Providing a Pathway from Personal to Planetary Health. Challenges 2023, 14, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14010016
2. Weir, Kristen, Nurtured by Nature, American Psychological Association website, Date created: April 1, 2020 https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
If your group is interested in any of our events, please contact us.
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