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Clay County naturalist interns showcase wildlife programs, prairie restoration to commission
Summary
Parks Director John Davis introduced college interns from the Smithville Lake Nature Center at a Clay County Commission meeting, where they described outreach programs, prairie restoration work and animal-ambassador education; staff said interns are now county part-time employees after a recent budget adjustment.
John Davis, parks director for Clay County, introduced five college interns from the Smithville Lake Nature Center and described the county naturalist program at a Clay County Commission meeting. The interns demonstrated live animals, explained outreach programs and outlined prairie and habitat work the parks department conducts.
Davis said the naturalist program is managed by three full-time employees and supported by college and high-school interns. "Tonight, we wanted to kinda give you a special program, update about our naturalist program that we've had for many years," Davis said, adding the program helps run educational presentations, water monitoring and maintenance of about 150 acres of prairie grass.
The interns described the educational focus and gave examples of animals and topics used in programs. Jackson Cartwright, a senior at Missouri Western State University and an intern, said, "One of the main things that we do is our educational programs and our shows." Cartwright showed a tiger salamander and explained amphibians’ sensitivity to pollution. Braxton Chambers, another intern and Missouri Western senior, emphasized connecting children and adults with local wildlife through hands-on demonstrations using animals such as Omelette, a western rat snake. Braxton said the presentations also teach practical guidance — for example, distinguishing venomous pit vipers from nonvenomous snakes.
Other interns described the center's live-animal ambassadors and material used in presentations: Daya Keithley discussed the three-toed box turtle and blue-tongued skink exhibits; Brett Claypole highlighted pelts and skulls used to explain beaver and fox ecology; and Kyla Spradlin detailed the parks’ prairie restoration work and listed native prairie plants used in education. The interns said the naturalists deliver programs countywide — at libraries, day cares, schools and public events — and that they partner with organizations including the Mid-Continent Public Library, YMCA and Kansas City parks agencies.
Davis told commissioners the internships were recently moved off temporary staffing and are now part-time county positions after a budget adjustment last week, a change he said will give the interns stronger credentials for future government jobs and a better sense of belonging to Clay County. He also said naturalists conduct E. coli testing at swim beaches and maintain pond and lagoon systems for public safety.
Davis summarized program reach: "We've kept data since 2012 of the park naturalists. They've performed about 4,142 outreach programs since 02/2012, and that's reaching over 78,000 youth and adult participants," he said. Commissioners praised the interns’ presentations; Commissioner Lawson called the group "very impressive," and Commissioner Wagner encouraged the interns to use county and partner connections to pursue conservation careers.
The parks staff said the nature center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and that exceptions can be made on request; they gave the county parks web page and the parks office phone number as contacts. The interns and staff remained at the meeting after the formal presentation so commissioners and members of the public could see the animals.
No formal action was taken on the presentation.
The presentation highlighted the county’s active naturalist outreach, the 150-acre prairie-restoration project, and the recent personnel change that moved interns to county employment.
