Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 35

Fun, education and
conservation at the
Remington Nature Center
by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop

I

f you have a question about St. Joseph, Sarah Elder
probably knows the answer. For almost three decades,
she worked for St. Joseph Museums Inc., the administrative body of multiple museums, galleries and collections preserving the city's culture and history. Now as
the manager of the Remington Nature Center, she's at the
epicenter of " where history and nature collide. " What better place for a lesson on natural history than the banks of
the Missouri River?
" The appeal is part natural history and part location,
because it's on the river, " Sarah says. " There's just something about a river that people like. "
Located along the city's Riverwalk, the nature center is
a jewel in the double crown that is St. Joseph's parks and
museums. Established in the 1920s, the parkway system
covers 48 facilities across 1,500 acres and is linked by a
26-mile trail. Whether visitors arrive at this end of it by
car, bike, foot or school bus, they're sure to leave with a
new perspective on the city, the natural world and their
own place within it.
That place begins with the Ice Age and Sembu. The
towering woolly mammoth replica and her baby, Remi, pull
double duty as the nature center's mascots and official
door greeters. They are also the largest examples of artifacts - including mammoth tusks, bones and teeth along
with numerous fossils and minerals - of St. Joseph and
Missouri's ancient origins.
The main hall is lined with full-size taxidermic mounts
of Missouri's present-day fauna. Some displays offer
close-up looks at familiar scenes: a white-tailed buck amid
coneflowers alerting other nearby deer to danger, a beaver
building a lodge and a bobcat leaping for pheasants in tall
grass. Other exhibits focus on recent conservation efforts
toward certain species. A hulking bison is one reminder of
the turning point St. Joseph reached in the 19th century,
when it was both a booming settlement and the beginning
of the American frontier.
" A lot of these are animals that used to be fairly common but you no longer see in northwest Missouri, " Sarah
says. " The black bear was very common here 150 to 200
years ago. The timber wolf is a similar situation. "
Previous page: Sarah Elder manages the Remington Nature Center,
where upon entry visitors are greeted by woolly mammoth mascot
Sembu and her baby, Remi. Left from top: The hall boasts fullsize taxidermic mounts of Missouri fauna such as the American black
bear. Mammal tracks magically appear in the sands of an interactive
display. The 7,000-gallon aquarium houses many freshwater species -
including black crappie - that call the nearby Missouri River home.
MAY 2021 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

35



http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - May 2021

Contents
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover1
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Contents
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover3
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