More Critters than Folks at Nature Center Now

Winter is a great time to visit the MK Nature Center if you're a duck, a deer, a mink, or a beaver, or maybe a songbird on your way south. But people do not seem to feel the same wintertime attraction to the nature center that animals feel. The hardy few who stroll through the nature center (600 South Walnut in Boise) as the temperature drops are rewarded for their efforts. For example, the few visitors willing to walk in the recent rain may have crossed paths with six mule deer that decided to hang out at the nature center. One little girl, Noel, and her dad were able to have a close encounter with them. By being quiet, slow and respectful, Noel and her dad came within 20 yards of the bravest of the mulies and neither party seemed in a hurry to leave. "Wood ducks and mallards are with us daily and the heron is likely to be here as well," center manager Dave Cannamella said. "Geese are always in earshot and are often overhead. I saw mink tracks on the bridge twice in the last two weeks, and caught him in his tracks' last week in the shelter window_fish in his mouth, no less. Ah, the ecosystem at work is a beautiful thing." If the weather is too brutal, visitors can always watch wildlife from the comfort of the nature center education building. The wildlife viewing is hot, even if the weather is not.