PIERRE, S.D. – Jody Moats, Naturalist at the Adams Homestead and Nature Center, had a busy morning long before we met at 8 a.m. Jody, her husband Scott and their three year old daughter McKenna live at the Broken Kettle Grasslands where Scott serves as the Director of Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy of Iowa. After they got McKenna ready for the day and taken to day care, Jody drove to the southeast corner of South Dakota to McCook Lake where the Adams HNP is located. We met at the Homestead a little before 8 a.m.

As Jody packed up the insect crate we would take to the school we were going to visit, I looked around the Adams HNP Visitor Center. My eyes instantly focused on the old farm machinery exhibits. They told the history of the Adams family who came here to the banks of the Missouri River in 1872. The Adams family worked the land and reared their families here for several decades. In 1983, the owners, sisters Maud and Mary Adams who had grown up at the site, decided to give their 1500-acre home to the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation for preservation and public education. Their desire was to make this a place of inner renewal for the public.

As we carried teaching tools to her vehicle, I asked Jody about the role she plays in helping the Adams sisters’ goal become a reality. "I create and implement environmental education programs for all ages at the park, in area schools and in the community. I present between 200 and 225 programs a year with about 25 percent of those in schools." Jody continued, "I focus a lot on the cultural and natural history of the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve."

It was a short drive to a local school where we quickly unloaded the van and set up for the first class of second graders. Most of Jody’s classes have 15 to 20 children; this class had 21. Sometimes she has as many as 120 children in one group. As active as these 21 were, I was glad that we didn’t have five times that many! With Jody’s outgoing, fun personality, her organized presentation about insects went smoothly. Before long it was noon and "we" had worked with four different classes.

After a quick lunch, we went back to the Homestead to set up for an afternoon tour group. A group of women from an area church had made a reservation to tour the buildings at the site. Right on schedule, the 15 ladies arrived. Jody welcomed the group and gave a brief introduction to the Visitor Center and then allowed them time to explore the exhibits. After that, we headed to the Brusseau cabin passing by the beautiful garden. At the cabin Jody explained that this old log structure had been moved approximately fifteen miles to this site. According to Jody, it is an excellent example of early settlers’ homes in this area.

From the cabin we walked to the Shay/Adams home where Mary and Maud had grown up. With Mary serving as the consultant on the project, the home has been restored with furniture, floor coverings and decorations to look as it did in the 1930s. Unfortunately, Maud passed away in 1995, and never got to see the home as she once knew it.

A short walk took us to the old Lamont Country School that the Adams sisters had purchased, restored, furnished and moved to the Homestead in 1991. Jody had the ladies sit in the desks. Several told stories about their experiences attending country schools. One said that this building even smelled like her old school.

The final visit was to the old Stavanger Church that Mary and Maud had purchased and moved to the Homestead in 1993. It has been restored so it feels like a church service is about to begin. After the ladies toured the choir loft, Jody had them sit in the pews and told them about the Cradle Roll that many churches had in earlier times.

By the time the ladies took one final look at the Visitor Center and left, it was 3:30. After interacting with all the children’s classes in the morning and touring the ladies around the homestead, I was tired. But rest was not to be. Jody had work for us to do. She needed to plan a hike that was scheduled for the next day. Because of my limp and difficulty walking, we hopped in the golf cart to head down some of the thirteen miles of trail in the park. Fortunately for people like me who have complications walking, tours of the trail by golf cart are available by calling ahead and making a reservation.

As we zipped along the trail toward the Missouri River, Jody planned her hike and pointed out the successful prairie restoration areas. I was amazed at the grasses that were typically shoulder high. The prairie changed to woodland and the smell of autumn filled the air. The temperature was cooler and much more humid in the wooded area. Before long we came in view of the river. A stop at the overlook gave us a good view of the water, wooded banks and sandbars. Two white tail deer ran across the path in front of us as we got back in the golf cart. Heading back to the Visitor Center, I asked Jody what she likes best about her job. "I enjoy seeing the excitement on young kids’ faces when they see a snake on the trail," she said, "or when kids bring their parents back to the park because they had such a good time on their field trip. I totally enjoy it when I can share my knowledge and love for the outdoors with people of all ages."

By taking the long route back to the Visitor Center I had more time to ask other questions. When I asked about the biggest challenges with her job her instant response was "Space." She added, "We get large groups but just don’t have enough indoor space and we need a place to go during inclement weather." She went on to explain that plans are being made to add an education wing to the Visitor Center. "With the addition," said Jody, "I expect to have more school groups use the facility, more organizations holding their meetings here and increasing our special events. Hopefully, our volunteer numbers will increase, too."

By the time we got back to the Visitor Center it was time for Jody to pick up McKenna from day care and head home. After she left, I sat in my car for a few minutes reminiscing about the day. In addition to what I saw today, I know that Jody writes two newsletters, recruits and trains volunteers to help at the Homestead, works with the media to promote the park’s events and conducts programs at the Spirit Mound Historic Prairie a couple times a month. She also serves as the president of both the Environmental Education Connections of South Dakota and the Loess Hills Audubon Society. When we talked earlier in the day, Jody said, "I get paid to bird watch, catch butterflies, take nature hikes and have fun with both kids and adults. I am a very lucky person." Having spent the day with Jody, I know that she does a LOT more than that and that WE are the lucky ones to have her in our department.

Education: Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Natural History Interpretation

Work Experience: Naturalist for Sac County Conservation Board in Sac County, Iowa for approximately three and a half years before coming to the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve in 2000.