[Bristol-Birds] Steele Creek Nature Center Notes and Outlook

Steele Creek   
Nature Center Notes 
Confronting more than a $390,000 loss next year with
the operation of its solid waste and landfill, the Bristol
Tennessee City Council Tuesday night remained committed 
to a quarter million dollars budgeted for renovations and
expansions to the Steele Creek Park Nature Center.

The solid waste and landfill shortfall will be covered by new
user fees.  The Nature Center project continues.

The City Council on Tuesday approved the city's 
$95 million budget for fiscal year 2008-09.  Included
are carryover funds of $15,000 for architect
and design work for the Nature Center expansion and
renovation.  Those funds were scheduled for 
expenditure by March 30th but were delayed due to
negotiations with an architect.

The funding of the Bristol 
Tennessee Parks and 
Recreation Department  
continues strong, doubling 
in just 10 years.

The department may make 
the Nature Center construction
dollars go much further by 
providing some in-house 
construction services and a 
wealth of free and valuable 
input from a dedicated 
naturalist community.

City Manager Jeff Broughton 
and department Director 
Terry Napier have teamed, with staff, to carry
the goals and mission of the department into a new era.
That has fostered a more user friendly and beautiful park
and a more friendly and cooperative personal approach.

Broughton has demonstrated an honest and sincere
passion for Steele Creek Park -- a quality not enjoyed
with previous modern-day city managers.  Just over a
year ago he came to a Friends event at Steele Creek
Park and announced a $162,000 general fund increase
for the department's budget.  The Nature Center received
just under 6% of those monies.

Napier's transition from an Administrative Lieutenant with
the Bristol Tennessee Police Department has progressed
well.  He brings strong management skills and personal
leadership to the staff.  He has shown good people skills
and has a nice feel for the public.  He has enjoyed the new 
position and its challenges.

The city's vision is to be a vibrant, caring, diverse
community, committed to excellence, where our heritage
and natural beauty are celebrated, our citizens are
engaged and our leadership visionary, becomes more
keenly focused and appreciated by naturalist across the
region.

Among the most committed to that visionary leadership
has been the Bristol Bird Club.  It's contribution by 
members and the club has been a model of a region
coming together.  A region that has visited and enjoyed
the park for half a century.

BBC has long given far more than it has received in 
exchange for its extensive efforts and long history of
leadership for the park.  That's the way it should be.

BBC has focused itself where doors have been open --
Virginia's Natural Tunnel State Park and Bays Mountain Park 
and Nature Center at Kingsport.  We are alert for more open 
doors anywhere within our region of influence.  Bays 
Mountain Park has the region's largest and longest operating 
nature center/museum.  It has a few more acres. The two
are rather different in landscape, mission and programming.
Steele Creek Park has been in operation longer and began
its formal naturalist efforts about the same time.

Bays Mountain and Steele Creek parks each have 
more than 2,000 acres.  Bays Mountain is a ridge top
park and Steele Creek is an urban wilderness surrounded
by extensive development.

Our next close-up look at Steele Creek Nature Center
and Park will itemize BBC's contribution during the past
40 years -- both planning, construction, programming and
funding.

The City of Kingsport and Bays Mountain Park have sent
word they want to support  BBC by helping fund the 
second edition of the Birds of Northeast Tennessee by
Rick Knight.  The board of directors of the Kingsport 
Bluebird Society wants to participate.  At the request of
BBC member Ellen Parker, there will be a June 16th called 
meeting of the full Board of Directors of the Friends of Steele 
Creek Nature Center and Park,  to consider a BBC request 
to contribute funding for the bird book.

Bristol city's budget commitment to Parks & Recreation has 
now doubled in just 10 years.

Meanwhile, the city has 3% percent of its full-time Parks and 
Recreation Department employees assigned to the
Steele Creek Park Nature Center and about 45% of its permanent
part-time employees:

    Jeremy Stout, Nature Center Manager (chief park naturalist) full-time.
    Rudy Morales, Naturalist, permanent part-time 
    Larry McDaniel, Assistant Naturalist, permanent part-time 
    Charlie Parker, Nature Center Assistant, permanent part-time 

The Steele Creek Nature Center received just under 4 cents out of
every dollars budgeted by the Parks and Recreation Department 
during the current budget year.

Assuming the Nature Center construction project comes to fruition, 
Friends of Steele Creek Nature Center and Park  will be busy helping 
to raise $25,000 of the budgeted contributions which will come from
private contributions.  State grants will be applied for which hopefully
will produce $25,000.  The city's general fund will cover the remaining
$200,000. 

The Friends' funds will go for exhibits.  Working with Stout and
Napier and the other city staff, the Friends group hopes to assure 
that it becomes the premier nature center in the region!

The City Manager had the park's fee gate taken down to help invite the 
public into its park.  The loss of revenue is now believed to have 
been offset by donations alone.

The Nature Center has achieved its highest level of organization,
display development and a bright, warm and clean environment.
It all bodes well for better programming and a refreshed renovation.
The staff is proactive with visitor interaction. Natural history
data is being well kept and distributed.  

The Nature Center and the Friends of Steele Creek Nature Center
and Park have provided both the encouragement, vision and
momentum for the fledgling Mountain Empire Butterfly Club --
another region first and a broader appeal to the naturalist 
community which responds to the Steele Creek Park Nature
Center and supports its programs.

Perhaps contractors will soon bring their tools and materials to join
city employees as we watch the nature center move forward with
the city mission.  Steele Creek Park is well underway with vast
improvements just this spring and much more just around the
corner.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN

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