Public to have chance to see new nature center at Rye Preserve in Parrish

PARRISH -- When the nature center at Rye Preserve opens to the public Saturday, Manatee County residents and visitors will have a chance to see high-quality exhibits typically not found in county parks, county officials say.

"We are very proud of being able to bring that level of quality deservedly so to our residents and visitors," said Charlie Hunsicker, the director of the county's parks and natural resources department.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, the new nature center will officially open to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Rye Preserve, 905 Rye Wilderness Trail, Parrish, is a 145-acre preserve on the Mana

tee River northwest of the Lake Manatee Dam.

Guided tours of the nature center, light refreshments, archery and other activities will be part of the free event, which runs until 11 a.m.

The center, which is housed inside a converted school portable building, has eight exhibits focused on the history of Rye Preserve or the upland habitat in Manatee County. Some exhibits include Florida's phosphate story with fossils, the history of Rye, scrub jay and the rebirth from the ashes.

The exhibits are for a "wide range of ages and a wide range of learner types," said Melissa Nell, manager of the programming/education and volunteer division in the county parks and natural resources department. The center will also offer interactive rotating activities, Nell said.

"There will always be something to learn," she said.

Hunsicker described the addition of new learning opportunities at the center "as a true environmental classroom should be."

"The lessons to be learned go beyond the walls of the exhibit to the environment of Rye Preserve and beyond, and having our visitors interact with that environment inside the building and beyond is part of the total education experience, which is still free," Hunsicker said.

While the public will have a chance to see the new nature center Saturday morning, staffing constraints mean the nature center will only be open on a limited basis. Reservations and special events can be arranged, and a center schedule should be released in February on the county's website, according to Nell.

The nature center is "really unique because this particular nature center has a lot of lessons that you may not find on the west coast," Nell said, adding that people tend to focus on the coastal system rather than uplands. In Manatee County, you can go from the beach to the uplands in one day.

"I just think it's very exciting that we have a brand new resource to tell that story," Nell said.

Funding for the $240,000 project came from a variety of sources, including $100,000 from the Phosphate Severance Fund, $52,000 from the general fund, $75,000 from Mosaic as part of the Altman Tract mine permit commitment and another $12,000 from Mosaic for exhibit design.

Volunteers including the county's Rye Preserves volunteers and Mosaic helped with the building's renovations, volunteering more than 750 hours. Students from Wakeland Elementary School helped review the exhibits as part of the design phase, Hunsicker said.

"A number of those partners that helped build the nature center will be returning to celebrate with us and make the event more special," Nell said. "This project was a wonderful opportunity for Manatee County to work with its partners to realize this new site."

The Palmetto Historical Park and Florida Forest Service will also be at Saturday's event with "activities that highlight the history of Rye and its uplands habitat," according to a news release.

"We are trying to let kids get a little bit of a taste of the pioneer life," said Tori Chasey Edwards, curator at Palmetto Historical Park.

The nature center will help teach children that the way of life today has not always existed, Edwards said.

"History is fun and you can do cool activities and it is not just a boring textbook," she said. "History doesn't just happen to a nation. It happens every day in a small community."

As the first of its kind in Manatee County, this will not be the last. The Mosaic Center for Nature Exploration, Science and Technology is being planned for Robinson Preserve as part of a 150-acre expansion, Hunsicker said.

"This effort by us will be replicated by us again and again as we move forward with our parks master plan and our efforts at our preserves," Hunsicker said.

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter @Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 12:21 AM with the headline "Public to have chance to see new nature center at Rye Preserve in Parrish."