May events sprout at Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

audiences of all ages. She is a member of the Minnesota Herpetological Association and served for two years as the association’s president. She began the “Be a Turtle Hero” program to educate people about turtle conservation and to give people the tools to help reduce turtle road mortality. People can view a video at https://youtu.be/ MXwZd_UFLTc.

now until August, beekeeper Karen Voy will be stopping by the center to check on the hives and indoor apiary. This is a time when amateur beekeepers, and the bee-curious, can get some hands-on experience and ask questions.

For the month of May the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center (SMINC) located at Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park, is rolling out a programming slate intended to help educate and raise awareness about turtles. Of the 356 species of turtles on the planet, 61% are considered endangered or are already extinct. For most people, it’s probably sea turtles they think of when they see a statistic like this but turtle populations here in Minnesota are also threatened like the Blanding’s turtle — a state symbol of Minnesota whose numbers have seen an alarming drop over the years.

The two events scheduled for May at the SMINC are intended to reach audiences of all ages. The center will host nature educator Misi Stine’s “Be a Turtle Hero” presentation, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, as part of its adult education series. The weekend before, Saturday May 13 and Sunday May 14, as part of the center’s family-friendly Interpretive drop-in series, naturalists and educators will be on hand to teach visitors all about turtles and the turtle species that can be found at Sunfish Lake Park.

Stine is a longtime wildlife educator who has given classes on a range of topic for

According to Stine, the extent of the problem is difficult to track since there isn’t really anyone collecting the numbers. But we’ve all seen what happens when turtles try to cross a busy roadway. Other factors in turtle population declines include habitat loss and human activity. Seemingly innocent activities like turtle races and collecting turtles for pets can have a real impact.

“Turtles are an ancient group of animals that have been around for over 200 million years old,” Stine said. “And it is up to us to see that those species are allowed to survive.”

“Be a Turtle Hero,” with Misi Stine, will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, at the SMINC at Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo. Her presentation will include artifacts and a live turtle and pre-registration is required. For more information, or to pre-register, visit https://sminc-lake-elmo. org/adult-education-presentation-series/ . Interpretive drop-in events typically happen twice monthly and are free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, and noon to 2 p.m. on Sundays. For the full schedule people can check the SMINC’s website at https://sminc-lake-elmo.org/event-descriptions/.

May will also see a continuation of the beekeeping programming that began in April. On Monday evenings at 6 p.m. from