New blufftop
Visitor Center planned for FWS

By Trudy Balcom

The McGregor District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is planning to construct and new visitor-center
office complex in a new location.
    The new building will be constructed on property purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2006, known as the Ballard tract.
    This 108-acre parcel is located on a blufftop edge about two miles south of Pikes Peak State Park on 175th St., near Swede Ridge Lutheran Church.
It was purchased from Tom and Carolyn Ballard, who had planned to retire and build a home on the property. They later chose to move south for their retirement and
sold the property to FWS.
    Since then, the FWS has installed hiking trails to two overlooks located on the property. The public can visit these trails, but must get permission from the
McGregor District office first.
    McGregor District manager Tim Yeager said that part of the plan for the property from the beginning was to build a new office and visitor’s center at the site.
    Currently, the 2,720 square-foot complex located in a narrow space along the bluff on the river road between Marquette and McGregor is overcrowded. The office
houses both the staff for the Upper Miss Refuge and also the Driftless Area Refuge. A small maintainance garage is also located there and  some of the staff use
a small trailer parked behind the office building for office space.
    In the past year $265,000  in funding became available to begin the engineering and planning phase for the new structure. The planning will begin with a template
for a similar structure that has been built at other refuge locations.
    The template calls for a building with about 7,700 square feet that will include a lobby visitor contact area, an environmental education area, offices and meeting
rooms.
    The building would offer space to create interpretive displays about area habitats including the river, the prairie and oak savanna habitat of the blufftops,
as well as the unusual habitat protected by the Driftless Area Refuge—the algific talus slopes of north facing bluffsides.
    “We really need to sit down with the engineers and architects,” Yeager said.
    Once a plan is finalized, Yeager said that the public would be invited to an open house to look at the plans. Construction is not expected to begin until 2012.
    It is unclear what the future plan might be for the current location. Yeager said that he would be willing to work with the cities of Marquette and McGregor
if either would be interested in the building for a tourist information center.

Dr. Smith Childcare Center 
rises to 26th place in Pepsi grant

The Dr. Smith Childcare in McGregor, would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to vote for their project which is in the running
for a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project.
    About two weeks ago, we sent out an announcement asking for help from the Community by voting for our project. At that time, this project
was ranked in 162nd Place. Thanks to all of the wonderful support, this project is now ranked in 26th place! Please keep in mind, this project
only needs to be in the Top 10 to win.
    Although we are very grateful to those who have supported us in getting this far, we would like to remind you that we do still need your help
climbing to the Top 10. Please continue to cast your vote every day. And please feel free to pass this announcement along to any of your
friends, relatives or co-workers you think may be interested and willing to help our cause.
    As a reminder, the staff at the Dr. Smith Center hope to raise $25,000 with the monies from this grant to create a beautiful outdoor
classroom with a learning garden to teach children through natural experiences. The Dr. Smith Childcare Center has a large, fenced, vacant lot
that could be used for this giant outdoor classroom.
    If awarded, the center will construct raised gardens for flowers and vegetables. They will plant trees, bushes, and plants to attract birds and
butterflies. And they will build hills for climbing, and a beautiful garden for the children to learn about nature, science, and all about the natural
world.
    Again, the Center will be awarded the grant if they are one of the Top 10 ideas voted on in the ‘Educational’ category. Although this is a
national competition, there are a limited number of ideas in the running for this grant. The Little Bulldog is asking for your help in supporting
their sister center by voting for their idea. Everyone can vote for our idea once a day until the end of the month.
    To vote all you have to do is register your email on www. refresheverything.com/The-LearningGarden and vote for the Dr. Smith
Childcare Center under the $25,000 educational category. The process takes less than 1 minute!