Fledgling Group Friendly To Chinsegut

In the early 1980s, Brooksville biologist Steve Fickett and resident Lisa von Borowsky decided it was time to share the natural wonders that the pine stands and rolling meadows of central Hernando County had to offer.

Fickett worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Von Borowsky cared for the gardens at Chinsegut Hill. Both helped found Hernando Audubon.

By 1986, the Chinsegut Nature Center had sprouted among the towering longleaf pines of the Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area, comprised of two swaths of land totaling 800 acres north of the Brooksville city limits and west of U.S. 41.

In the years since, the center has offered recreational and educational programs and workshops on topics ranging from birding to archery, butterflies to backpacking, all free of charge. Countless visitors, schoolchildren to senior citizens, have rambled onto the property to scope out gopher tortoises and sand hill cranes and hike along trails cutting through woods, prairie and swamp that Hernando's pioneers called home.

Von Borowsky died in 2001, Fickett last year. The center continues to be run by the FWC - one of just a few of its kind in the state - and saw some 5,700 visitors last year.

Now, a group has formed to ensure their vision thrives for years to come.

The Friends of the Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area will, according to its mission statement, "enhance the 'Chinsegut Experience' through partnerships, fundraising, and outreach."

"We think we have a real jewel here," said Geoff Brown, community partnerships coordinator for FWC's Office of Recreation Services. "We need to involve our constituents and set up a means to give them a voice to help conserve gems like Chinsegut."

Brown traveled from Tallahassee this week to take part in a steering committee meeting Thursday. The seven-member committee is currently working on guiding principles and seeks members with diverse talents and background to serve on the Friends advisory committee.

The Friends will act as liaison between environmental groups, public agencies, educational institutions, businesses and other stakeholders that can all play a role in the effort to help the center expand its offerings and connect more people with nature, Brown said.

That connection is a magical one, said Kristin Wood, who has served as the center's director since 1995.

"It's neat to open up the eyes of the people who come here," Wood said.

Fundraising will be a crucial part of the Friends' mission, especially in today's tight budget times, committee members said.

While Brown emphasized there currently is no threat of the center closing, it has been debated at least twice in recent years, said Kristin Wood, who has served as the center's director since 1995.

The state spent about $171,000 this year to run the entire wildlife area, including land management and a full time technician's salary who spends most of his time at Chinsegut Wildlife Environmental Area, Wood said. Of that, the center has an annual budget of some $88,530, and also takes in some donations from those who take advantage of its offerings.

It's not much money when considering the number of free programs offered every month of the year, plus larger events such as the Reptilian and Amphibian Festival in October and Pioneer Day in November, when visitors can get a taste through demonstrations and exhibits of how the county's forefathers and their families lived.

The center already has a good volunteer base, said Becky Brown, volunteer services for the center and no relation to Geoff Brown.

There are some 130 volunteers who help out, Becky Brown said.

Without them, "We wouldn't do half the programs we do," she said.

Membership prices for the Friends have yet to be set, but various levels will be offered.

The ultimate goal is to build a new center, though the architecture would likely offer a nod to the past, Wood said.

"We were thinking about an old-time house like the pioneers would have lived in," she said.

To find out more about the Friends of the Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area or how to help, call the Chinsegut Nature Center at 754-6722. To learn more about the center and its programs, visit myfwc.com/chinsegut.