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  • The city of Mankato’s Elks Nature Center has been closed since late summer, but will reopen Friday. The city has partnered with Minnesota State University’s parks and recreation department to staff the center and create programming. John Cross

    Elks

February 1, 2010

Elks Nature Center reopening

By Tanner Kent The Free Press

MANKATO — After a cost-saving winter hibernation, the Elks Nature Center will reopen Friday.

The reopening comes as a partnership between the city and Minnesota State University, which will provide students from its parks and recreation department to staff the center and create programming.

To get things started, the center will be open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Rachelle Toupence, a parks and recreation instructor at MSU, said she has spent several weeks at the center taking inventory and cleaning up. She said Friday’s reopening only marks the first step in the partnership.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Toupence said. “But we’re hoping to grow from here.”

Last summer the Mankato City Council moved to close the center beginning Aug. 31 as a cost-saving measure. Formerly, the city had paid Mankato Area Public Schools $50,000 per year to staff the center and provide educational programming.

To help Toupence and her students, the city is still planning to hire a summer intern for the center. The city also is recruiting volunteers to help staff the center throughout the year.

The city has budgeted $20,000 toward the operation of the center, though the agreement with MSU is at no cost.

Laura Elvebak, who coordinates volunteers for the city, said she is collecting names for several volunteer opportunities throughout the city, including Elks Nature Center. (If interested, call Elvebak at 507-387-8621.)

Mark Knoff, Mankato’s public works director, said the focus of the partnership is making sure the center is staffed consistently and during regular hours.

“We’ve been working hard to get it open,” Knoff said, adding later: “The priority is to make it a good education center.”

Elks Nature Center is in Rasmussen Woods, 555 Stoltzman Road, and was established in 1989 to promote environmental education programs. The construction of the center was funded through a large donation from the Mankato Elks Club.

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