Gone daddy gone - Nature Center closed for winter

I might have mentioned this once or twice before, but the best part of where we live is Evergreen Lake.

We walk it; skate it; boat it; watch the elk, deer, ducks, geese, and many other wildlife; and we like to visit the Evergreen Nature Center in the old refurbished warming hut so the boys can learn about the local animals, birds, fish, bugs and plants.

Sunday we walked the lake as a family and the boys - 3.5 and 1.5 years - were great, hiking happily the whole way because they knew our destination - the Nature Center.

We were crushed when we got there and found it not only closed - but empty! There was no cheerful sign saying " Closed for the season, see ya next year!" No pelts to pet, no tracks to trace, no books to read, no poppets to puppeteer, no stuffed prowling mountain lion, no sign a nature center had ever been located there. It was gone daddy gone.

As my older son howled in disappointment like he had lost a limb, a woman stopped and we chatted about the missing center. She said it had been there only last weekend. So, with no notice (that I had seen) it had disappeared.

Fearing it was closed due to lack of funds - 'tis the economy for that sort of thing and it certainly couldn't be due to lack of interest. Every time we visited, the center had been busy. I checked for a web site and to my relief found they are only closed for the season.

This center is a treasure for Evergreen, so make sure you visit in the spring when it opens again.

The Evergreen Nature Center opened in the warming hut on Evergreen Lake in 2008 and is a project of the Evergreen Audubon Society and is also funded by the SCFD. It is free to visit the Nature Center and participate in the classes and programs; but, tax deductible memberships are most appreciated and help fund the center.

At the web site: http://www.evergreennaturecenter.org/ you can sign up to volunteer and view a list of classes that cover topics from star viewing to birds and bugs, to gardening and wild flower identification, and much more. You can register for the classes at: http://www.dipper.org/.