By Hailey Hunter ’24
Central College’s Central RED Society will present “Restoring and Reconstructing Iowa’s Endangered Native Ecosystem at Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge.” Refuge staff Scott Gilje, Karen Viste-Sparkman and Nancy Corona will lead the discussion Thursday, Feb. 24, in the Dave and Ardie Sutphen Common Room in the Graham Annex on Central’s campus.
Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. The presentation will begin at 12 p.m. Cost is $10. The class is limited to 50 participants. Due to federal government regulations, the Neal Smith team requires attendees to wear masks.
The refuge staff will present an overview of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, its mission and the management practices being implemented to restore and reconstruct Iowa’s native ecosystems.
Gilje, refuge manager, has been with Neal Smith since 1998. He served in the Army from 1988-92. After the military, he became a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He graduated from Warnell School of Forestry and Wildlife at the University of Georgia in 1996.
Viste-Sparkman, refuge biologist, received her B.A. in biology from Willamette University and her master’s at Oregon State University. Her love of prairie, oak savanna and grassland birds led her to her current position as wildlife biologist where she has served since 2006.
Corona, visitor services manager, has spent her 30-year career working as a federal park ranger for both the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her work centers around engaging and connecting the public with their natural resources. She has been with refuge since 2016.
Central RED (Ready to Engage and Discover) is a volunteer-driven, lifelong learning and social organization with an abiding partnership with Central alumni and friends who wish to share knowledge, talents and experiences. Members pay $20 annually to join Central RED.
No affiliation with Central is required to join. For more information, visit central.edu/red or contact Mary Benedict by email at benedictm@central.edu or phone at 641-628-7641.