Head on over to a stretch of the American River Parkway in Carmichael and you’ll see a very different Effie Yeaw Nature Center from before the latest round of county budget cuts.
Kuehner: “The Nature Center is closed, including its bathrooms.”
Carmichael resident Heidi Kuehner runs the website Save-Effie-Yeaw-dot-org. She’s glad the American River Natural History Association is stepping in to run the nature center. But the non-profit has never taken on a task like this before – and she’s frustrated with the transfer’s slow pace.
Kuehner: “There’s no one out there on the trails monitoring right now, and keeping the wildlife and the trails safe.”
Effie Yeaw’s longtime Executive Director, Marilee Flannery, says she and the non-profit are scrambling to tie up all the loose ends.
Flannery: “It wasn’t just a matter of handing over the keys. There are a number of steps that we’ve had to go through – everything from liability, getting insurance liability coverage, to getting of course workers comp, and getting a payroll system set up.”
Flannery says she expects the nature center to reopen this weekend – but with far fewer staff and activities than before.
