Back to a “Normal” Summer at Warner Park Nature Center

Shared by Vera Roberts, Warner Park Nature Center Manager

vera.roberts@nashville.gov

Late June 2021

Throughout the month of June, my senses are always filled with summer – birds singing breeding songs, frogs plucking banjo chords, fragrances of blossoms seen and unseen, and dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, all within a patchwork of dense green forest.  

During the summer of 2020 my senses were again on sensory overload, but what was different was coming to work every day during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature was thriving, but humans were struggling. At the nature center, we were socially distancing and masked up, strictly following all of the protocols to keep everyone safe and virus free. 

The masked trail crew working on the trail in summer 2020.

Programs were virtual, camps were canceled, staff and volunteers were staggering schedules, working from home, doing whatever possible to keep operations going.  And while the Park was busy, virus anxiety permeated everything. 

Fast forward to June 2021.  Nature is performing, as it always does, the familiar sounds, sights, and smells returning like old friends.  So too are our programs, and people, returning to the nature center and what feels like a “normal” summer. 

Summer Naturalist Camp enjoys the Little Harpeth River.

Two of my favorite summer programs are the SWEAT (Special Work Education And Trails) Team and PEN (People Exploring Nature) Pals Camps, both of which are back and in full swing!

For almost 40 years the SWEAT Team has literally sweated their time improving the trails, grounds, and facilities of Warner Parks, and this summer’s team is no exception.  This work-learn-earn program is based on the federal Youth Conservation Corps program from the 1970’s that helped establish the Warner Park Nature Center and built many of the Parks beloved hiking trails.

By the end of their first week, the 2021 crew had already mastered the use of a fire rake and applied over tons of gravel to badly eroded sections of primitive trails.  Supervised by Paul Fowler, the Friends of Warner Parks Director of Natural Resources, the SWEAT team tackles projects outside of the normal scope of what Park maintenance and volunteers can do, maintaining every inch of the 16.5 miles of hiking trails in Warner Parks.  

Since 1988, Warner Park Nature Center has been partnering with Metro Parks Community Centers to provide urban youth ages 9-13 with summer camp experiences in the Parks.  The 2021 PEN Pals Day camps began last week and everyone had so much fun! 

Upon arrival, campers become “Otters”, “Coyotes”, or “Foxes” and are led by nature center staff and seasonal naturalists.  Throughout the day campers engage with nature through exploration and observation of the pond, garden, meadow, and forest, take a “silent” hike, learn how to kayak, catch and identify river critters, and plant a flower to take home.  And a healthy lunch and lots of snacks are provided throughout the day!

Both SWEAT and PEN Pals are grant-funded by Friends of Warner Parks and are programs essential to fulling the nature center’s mission to provide environmental education, natural resource protection, and responsible outdoor recreation, in order to raise awareness of and enthusiasm for the natural world.  Through all of our work, the ultimate goal is always to facilitate a deep connection to and positive experience in nature and I am grateful to our amazing staff, volunteers, and partners for working towards this goal every single day.