Lee County Conservation breaks ground on outdoor classroom

Outdoor classroom

This outdoor classroom will be a place of learning, exploration and inspiration. It will provide our students with the opportunity to connect with the natural world and foster a a deeper appreciation of our environment and the importance of conservation.”

Heather Huebner, LCC Director

LEE COUNTY – Lee County Conservation officials broke ground on a new outdoor education classroom Thursday near Montrose.
The new facility is to be located just outside the conservation center at Heron Bend and is being designed to integrate public access to the facility as well as bringing outdoor classroom instruction to the center.
The facility will overlook the vista reaching back to the back waters of the Mississippi River.
The outdoor classroom has been in the works for the conservation department for the past eight years, but grants this year from Climax Molybdenum and funding from Three Rivers Conservation and the Keokuk Area Community Foundation, the Lee County Charitable Fund, Keokuk Walmart, and Lee County Chapter of Quail Forever, have brought it close to reality.
Conservation Director Heather Huebner said the classroom will be a place for the public to come together in connection with nature.
“This outdoor classroom will be a place of learning, exploration, and inspiration. It will provide our students with the opportunity to connect with the natural world and foster a deeper appreciation of our environment and the importance of conservation,” Heubner said.
Sean Blanchard,  a member of Three Rivers Conservation, said the project was actually in the plans about 10 years ago.
“This is such a fun milestone. I’m so proud of the work of the Lee County Conservation and the Three Rivers Conservation as a member the last five years. Their contributions have made improvements to all major parks, and camping amenities have been expanded and improved."
Blanchard said many members of the public have impacted the Lee County Educational program. In fiscal year 2021- 2022, 2,400 adults and more than 15,000 students participated in conservation programs.
He said after the group helped drive the Places to Play initiative, which put new playgrounds in all the county parks, they revisited their mission statement.
“The mission is to bring people together in education and recreational opportunities in partnership with Lee County Conservation, and to instill a desire of stewardship for generations to come,” he said.
“It was in that spirit that we chose to focus on environmental education as our next strategic initiative.”
Blanchard said the outdoor classroom will enhance the experience of the students and provide new opportunities for Lee County’s conservation staff to create new programs for youth and adults alike.
He thanked the staff and past directors who laid the foundation for the project. "I believe it is no coincidence that the Lee County Conservation staff are genuinely some of the most good and friendly people you will ever meet."
Supervisor Chuck Holmes said he was unaware that the outdoor classroom had been part of the district plans for the past eight years.
“They stuck with the dream and, more recently, they’ve been able to get funding in grants to move forward with the project  We’re ready to move forward with this project and this is a project that Lee County can be very proud of,” Holmes said.
Amy Conlee, the senior social performance specialist at Climax Molybdenum, said it’s a Freeport-McMoRan commitment to help provide opportunities and support for county projects. She said the guiding principle for the social performance activities is transforming tomorrow together.
“This allows us to work collaboratively with communities to make transformative change and increase overall individual community opportunities for well-being and capacity."
She said the grant will provide $25,000 from the Freeport McMoRan Foundation’s Social Investment Fund.
“We know this project will have a great impact and we are proud to be transforming tomorrow together,” Conlee said.
Huebner said there is still fundraising work to be done, but they have enough current funding to allow the project to begin.
She said the classroom will be a covered outdoor space of about 900 square feet. There will be additional outdoor concrete space with seating to allow educators to teach outdoors or inside the covered classroom. She said the facility will also be available for the public to use for outdoor events as the schedule allows.