Image from the Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center Facebook Page
At Monday’s meeting, the Fergus Falls City Council listened to Molly Stoddard and Rud Wasson speak about their request for the City to support the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center.
The Learning Center is a staple of the Fergus Falls community, especially the education program run by the school district for 4th and 5th graders.
Wasson, former President of Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, began by explaining that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have not been properly staffing the Center.
According to Wasson, before the current director, Joanne Ryan, was hired, the Learning Center was without a director for three years, and since then, the three education specialists have all retired, and no one has been hired to replace them.
Now, there are only two staff members, Director Ryan and a maintenance worker, and Ryan is set to retire at the end of March, 2024.
Due to the lack of staff, the Center building has only been open one day a week for the last two years.
Wasson says that there should be at least a director, an administrative assistant, a maintenance worker, and at least two education specialists.
Stoddard, a private citizen who had previously worked at the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and had spent 18 years of that time working at the Prairie Wetlands, then highlighted that the Fish and Wildlife Service is obliged to provide staff for the Learning Center due to a formal, written partnership agreement between the department and the City of Fergus Falls.
She then requested that the Council prepare a resolution to be shared with the Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the area’s Congressmen to indicate the City’s support of the Service fully funding and staffing the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center.
After taking in all that Wasson and Stoddard had to say, the Council unanimously passed the resolution.
During the discussion, Mayor Ben Schierer said, “I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center is a valuable asset to our community, to our educational system, to the city as a whole. I would certainly think it’s appropriate for us to offer a resolution to send to Senator Klobuchar, Senator Smith, Representative Fischbach, just stating the importance of the facility to our community and urge them to fund it and staff it appropriately.”
Members of the community are encouraged to contact their members of Congress, either by phone call or by mail, to show their support for the Learning Center.
The Prairie Wetlands Learning Center facility is situated on 330 acres of scenic prairie with native and restored areas encompassing 28 wetlands and 3.5 miles of trails.
The lands and trails are open for hiking or snowshoeing year-round.
A paved 1/2-mile trail and floating bridge is accessible for visitors with disabilities.
The Visitor Center houses an exhibit area, the Bluestem Store, 4 classrooms and an education greenhouse.
The Center provides environmental education and interpretation of the prairie pothole region for learners of all ages.