7QUESTIONS+PLUS

Christine Reardon, a University of Wisconsin-Parkside graduate who recently took over as a full-time naturalist at Pringle Nature Center. Growing up amid the chaos in New York City, Reardon probably never thought of herself working at a nature center in Wisconsin. But Reardon, who also is a mother of two children, discovered Pringle four years ago and she’s has adored the land ever since.

Christine Reardon will now take your questions ...

What made you decide to become a naturalist? I have wanted to teach my whole life but I don’t like school. Being a

naturalist gives me the opportunity to teach without going to school every day. I also get to play outside whenever I want.

Who or what has been your biggest influence as a naturalist? Though I grew up in New York City, my mother took me out to the park every day regardless of weather until I started school. She taught me about birds and flowers and enrolled me in gardening programs. My mother also read poetry to us almost every day of our lives and my sister is now a poet.

How do you plan to boost attendance at the Nature Center? We need to boost attendance in two ways, school programs and the casual visitor. For the past few years our volunteers were limited in how many school programs they could lead, forcing many schools to go elsewhere. Now I can offer programs four days a week and hope that the schools that used to visit Pringle return. I also offer weekend programs, for families, adults, and also volunteer days. We hope to get a large turnout for our Fall Fun Fest this year. We have more programs and activities than ever in the past and hope to see everyone at Pringle on Oct. 6th.

What are a few of the Nature Center's major attractions for the public? People come to Pringle either for the programming we offer or for the acres of wooded trails within Bristol Woods County Park. On Oct. 6th, our Fall Fun Fest will combine our two best features with hayrides, guided hikes through the woods, food, face painting, craft projects, and storytelling.

How can the Nature Center compete with larger locations such as Bong State Recreation Area? At 195 acres, Bristol Woods is the largest native woodland in Kenosha County. Within these woods are four miles of nature trails, a great building to rest in, and school programs that conform to state and local standards. Pringle is also only a 10-minute drive from Kenosha and has immediate access to Illinois. I like Bong and take my kids camping and fishing there.What Pringle offers is so different that I see our two facilities as complimentary rather than in competition.

Why is having a Nature Center such as this important? Nature Centers give public land more value by combining our desire to educate our children with our need to be in nature.

What book are you most likely to recommend to friends? I should say “The Dangerous Book for Boys” but I haven't actually read it. My all-time favorite book is “The Time of Our Singing” by Rickard Powers. It’s about opera, physics, family and the civil rights movement.

Growing up, what were your favorite subjects in school? I was a terrible student because I was interested in everything but never at the right time. I would get in trouble for reading in math class or drawing a frog’s anatomy in English class. I always preferred learning things on my own to doing them with the class.

What is your favorite television show? I locked my television in the basement and now it isn’t talking to me.

What is the worst advice you've received? Come in from the rain. I love the rain, especially a big drenching storm. You just have to remember not to wear jeans in the rain.

What are you most likely to be doing when you are away from the Nature Center? Sleeping. I sleep nearly half of the hours that I am not here. When I’m not sleeping I’m spending time with my kids.

What is your favorite time of year? Do you enjoy seeing the seasons change or would you rather have it be warm year-round? I love the autumn. I love food and autumn is a time of harvesting and cooking and stocking up freezers and pantries with the stuff that will nourish us through the winter. I don’t like the heat of summer and if I couldn’t have the changing seasons then I would rather have it be rainy, cold and dreary year-round. Weather like that is the seed from which creativity grows.

If you were to pick one place to travel to enjoy the natural surroundings of your destination, where would you go? I once heard that Scotland and Greece are the two most beautiful places in the world. I have been to Scotland and seen the stunning seascapes and moors so the obvious choice is Greece. I really enjoy the natural surroundings in Wisconsin too.

What can we do to teach future generations about the importance of environmentalism and enjoying nature? The most important thing to teach is how to enjoy nature. Children are natural explorers and if they enjoy exploring nature that will do more to ensure that they will preserve what is left than anything else. People care about what they touch and feel far more than what they are told.

How big of a concern is global warming and other pollution that we hear about these days? In recent years we have seen a very high rate of extinction with human, animal and plant life being displaced from their homes due to flooding, desertification or habitat loss. The Earth will recover no matter what we do. Life rebounded after five major extinctions, including the famous asteroid that led to the dinosaur extinction. The real question is do we want to sit by while people and environments suffer or do we want to reach out to the global community and help manage the changes that will occur with compassion?

What is Kenosha County's hidden gem when it comes to natural settings? I’d like to say Bristol Woods where Pringle Nature Center is located because so few people seem to know what’s here. I bet if I looked really hard though I could find someplace more beautiful and more hidden. It is probably the back yard of some great local conservationist.