Ernst Community Classroom located @ 1580 Scott Lake Rd in Waterford, MI 48328

Ernst Community Classroom located @ 1580 Scott Lake Rd in Waterford, MI 48328

Thursday, March 22, 2012

SAVE the WINT NATURE CENTER! (Imagination & Innovation Needed)


News > Local News

Services cut from Wint Nature Center at Independence Oaks County Park WITH VIDEO

Thursday, March 22, 2012 7:16 AM EDT
By MONICA DRAKE
monica.drake@oakpress.com; Twitter: @monica_adele
Wint Nature Center at Independence Oaks County Park will soon be a “visitor center” instead of a nature center after $234,400 was cut from its budget by the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission.

The Wint Nature Center now runs on half of its previous budget, despite the voters approving a renewal of Oakland County Parks and Recreation’s 0.2415-mill property tax for the next 10 years. The money cut from the budget was added to the parks’ operating budget.



Manager of Parks and Recreation Sue Wells said, “We have 29 different budget centers in the park system, and with the shrinking property values, even though we have a millage, that money is less.”

The Wint Nature Center, which was built 27 years ago, is currently the only nature center at Oakland County Parks and Recreation after the Lyon Oaks Nature Center closed down about a year ago.

Recreation Program Supervisor and Parks Naturalist Lynn Conover said the booking of all interpretative services, such as field trips, outreach services, scout events and birthday parties, are on hold right now per an administrative directive.

“Folks seemed to be very disheartened about any sort of scaling back of services because they've come to depend on this facility as a place where they come to gain further knowledge of the natural world, help their children earn their scout badges, have their birthday parties and make memories,” said Conover. “We only have one full-time employee. In efforts to trim the budget, we've given up the cleaning crew. We've absorbed clerical along with operating the facility and trying to maintain the highest level of interpretive programming.”

The Nature Center is currently open to walk-in visitors 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The hours were cut this year from the previous hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to five Sunday.

Wells said the building will not close, but it will not be the historical model it had once been.

“We still want to provide for school groups. What that looks like, we don't specifically know. We're working that out right now,” Wells said. “There will be a naturalist who will be putting on programs. The programs won’t necessarily be housed in that facility, but we still want to provide quality education programs.”

Conover, who has worked for Parks and Recreation for 28 years, said it is increasingly challenging to deliver quality services at the same level with limited resources. Conover said, with less resources, there are less opportunities for field trips and other community activities.

“I have a very small and extremely dedicated, professional staff. Right now, we have four part-time staff and one full-time. At one point, there were five full-time here, and there was as many as eight or nine part-time staff,” said Conover.

Wells said she doesn't know why the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission decided to cut from the Wint Nature Center.

“It was a recommendation under Public Act 261, which is the public act that creates parks and recreation commission. (The parks and recreation commission) has to approve our budget, and then its approved by the county board of commissioners,” said Wells. “Last year, each budget center cut 10 percent of their budget. It's not like this is the only thing that has been looked at. Each supervisor has been trimming their budget each year.”

The Wint Nature Center currently still offers live reptiles, amphibian and fish exhibits; mounted displays of native wildlife such as coyotes and beavers; a feeding station for mammals and birds; and limited weekend family programs.

Conover said, “The building is an important structure, but I think what really makes memories for people are the relationships they have with Oakland County Parks employees and the services we deliver. We will continue to do our utmost to deliver the highest quality nature experiences so families can continue to build memories. That is definitely number one for us, and we’re trying to continue that despite very challenging circumstances.”

FYI — Interested businesses and individuals who would like to host a program or donate to the Wint Nature Center, call 248-858-0906. For individuals who want more information about the cut in funding for the Wint Nature Center or who would like to address the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission, the next meeting is 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 4 at the Parks and Recreation administration office, 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford Township. Wint Nature Center is located at 9501 Sashabaw Road  in Independence Township. Their new hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, call 248-625-6473 or visit DestinationOakland.com.

Contact Monica Drake at 248-745-4687 or email her at monica.drake@oakpress.com. Find her on Twitter at monica_adele.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Scouts Badge Day

NC 600px

Weather Badge Day: rain or shine


Cub Scouts become weather wise at the Weather Belt Loop and Pin badge day on Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. - noon OR 2 - 4 p.m. Scouts learn weather safety plus make a weather vane and weather map.

While exploring at the Wint Nature Center, scouts are introduced to the water cycle and how clouds and rainbows form. Activities are held indoors and outdoors - be sure to dress accordlingly.

Badge days fulfill all requirements necessary for badges. Space is limited and come badges fill quickly.
 
Pre-registration is required. For details and to register call 248-625-6473.

The Wint Nature Center is located in Independence Oaks County Park in Clarkston. Nature center information and other program offerings can be found at DestinationOakland.com.

See you rain or shine!

- Oakland County Parks and Recreation Wint Nature Center staff


Find us on Facebook.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

SMART OCPRC Footprint Enlarges "possibilities-thinking"


Farmers market to spruce up with a new name and new look
By Kathleen Gray Free Press Staff Writer
   Oakland County’s Farmers Market is on the verge of becoming simply the Oakland Market in June when management of the popular Waterford site is transferred to the county Parks and Recreation Department.
   The transfer has been in the works for two years, and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the change in several committee meetings this week.
   The Parks and Recreation Department is a separate entity funded by its own millage, meaning the county won’t have the nearly $200,000 cost of operating and maintaining the property on its books. It also means that some improvements might be in store for the 57-year old market, which depends on regional vendors and farmers for produce, flowers, a variety of home-baked products and crafts.
   The parks department is looking at making the 14-acre site, which attracts 300,000 visitors 
a year, a part of the Water-ford Oaks Park and hopes to eventually create a trail between the two sites.
   “We’re looking at some cross-marketing opportunities and making people aware of other parks in the county,” said Dan Stencil, the department’s executive director. “But our biggest 
and first priority is going to be customer service and enhancing the experience for patrons.”
   Toward that end, there will be parking attendants at the market to help unsnarl traffic on busy summer Saturdays. And Stencil said he’s also working with community organizations, such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, 
to earn community service awards — and maybe a little extra cash — by helping patrons cart their goods to their cars.
   The parks department also plans to spruce up the place with a fresh coat of paint and some colorful banners to more clearly identify the market’s attributes.
   ! CONTACT KATHLEEN GRAY: 313-223-4407 OR KGRAY99@FREEPRESS.COM 
2010 PHOTO BY ROB WIDDIS/SPECIAL TO THE FREE PRESS
   The Oakland County Farmers Market is to become the Oakland Market when county Parks and Recreation takes over operations.

Something to inform our understanding