The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: A Century of Discovering the Nature of Nature

A Regents Resource Center, 2007–Present

70 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2007–present a regents resource center while m os t of the traditions inherited from the early days or originating in the past half century have carried through to today, several important administrative changes occurred recently to produce the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory that celebrated its centennial in 2009. The most important change, the one that has driven all the others, was the 2006 decision by the Iowa State Board of Regents to return the administration of Lakeside to the University of Iowa, specifically back to its Extension Division (today the Division of Continuing Education). Associate provost Chet Rzonca became the University of Iowa’s administrative liaison to Lakeside. Concurrent with this move, the Regents appointed an on-site director, Peter van der Linden (fig. 29). For the first time in its century-old existence, Lakeside had a full-time director. Peter, who was a student at the Lab in 1974, arrived after holding administrative positions at Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve and the Iowa Arboretum . His charge is to administer Iowa Lakeside Laboratory as a Regents Resource Center. The expanded goal of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in its new role is to work with the Friends of Lakeside Lab to develop the presence of the three Regents universities in northwest Iowa. As a Regents Resource Center , Lakeside offers programs in lifelong learning for the people of northwest Iowa. Toward this end, Lakeside is expanding its services. In 2006 the annual Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute was established to bring undergraduates from the three state universities together with faculty and business leaders. Guided by faculty, students interact with experienced entrepreneurs in an atmosphere of total immersion. This idea of immersion has always been Lakeside’s trademark, which is borrowed from the success of its natural history instruction. In 2007 a Writers in Residence program was established. The celebrated Jim Heynen, author of The Boys’ a regents resource center, 2007–present • 71 House: New and Selected Stories (2001), One Hundred over 100 (1990), and Sioux Songs (translations) (1977), has masterfully guided it these past few years with the same goal: immersion of students and faculty by working through ideas. Students write during the morning, with writing centered around a theme often inspired by the Lakeside grounds, and discuss their efforts with Professor Heynen in the afternoon. The natural history curriculum has also been faring well. The student body has continued its high quality and so has the instruction. Evaluations from a recent Lakeside biology course could have been written in 1909 and included the following comments:» I love the way in which we were encouraged to learn. Nothing was forced, by any means. [The instructor] made us want to learn for ourselves.» This is the most I’ve learned in a class. It was a much better way to learn about the subject matter applicable to my major.» The freedom [the instructor] gave us in finding our own answers— yet the perspective and advice to know what to look for. Today, as always, scholarships are offered to deserving students, and an internship program has been developed to offer students summer employment. 29. Lakeside’s current director Peter van der Linden, in front of Main Cottage in 2010. Photograph by Tom Jorgensen, courtesy of Peter van der Linden. 7 2 • a regents resource center, 2007–present In addition to the university curriculum, as mentioned above, Lakeside offers a series of programs designed for both adults and children run by Lakeside’s vibrant and tireless education coordinator, Jane Shuttleworth (fig. 30). Adult programs include the faculty lecture series, a weekly public presentation by one of Lakeside’s faculty covering their research interests. This is a popular program typically presented to a standingroom -only crowd. Conservation Conversations is a morning program designed to discuss local environmental issues. Often there is a presenter, perhaps from the DNR or other groups with environmental interests, and community members attend. The Coffee and Grounds Committee spruces up the Lakeside grounds. Activities include planting prairie species, weeding the prairie gardens, and harvesting acorns for planting elsewhere in the Lakes region. The Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Program recruits citizens (and their boats) in a volunteer effort to monitor the water quality of many area lakes. Nature Weekends, highlighting the area prairies, wetlands, and lake habitats, are popular and draw people from communities across the region. Children’s programs include Wild Wednesdays, imaginative evening programs geared to teach children about the...