Just outside the borders of the Niemes Nature Center and Garden lies the Reptile Refuge, home to 5 Red Eared Slider turtles, and now, Iggy the Iguana. I don't know the history of the space, but it is a chain link, gated area, underneath a giant ash tree. Perhaps it's original purpose was for a land dwelling animal - I understand that there were tortoises here at some point. Over the years, various bits and pieces of wire, string, netting, plastic, and wood accumulated, designed to keep animals either in or out. Or both. It had become a sad state of affairs - not strong enough to do either job. In a further tragedy, a few years ago, a raccoon climbed in and attacked one of the turtles (Courageous Rudolph Niemes by name), causing his demise. The final straw came when our beloved iguana, set free from his classroom cage to bask happily in the summer sun, escaped from the Refuge. On a walkabout for three months, we believe he was quite content. Then, tragedy struck once again. Iguanas, if you do not know, love to live in 40-50 foot tree tops. In September, the tree trimmers came, and Iggy's tail was a casualty of their chainsaws. Fearing for his life, we did not return him to the classroom, but instead constructed a make-shift cage under the banana trees where he could get plenty of sunshine, be carefully watched, and nursed back to health. Thus, the Reptile Refuge Rebuild project was born.
We had certain requirements for the Rebuild. It had to have a shed style roof so that the leaves and branches that fell from the ash tree could slide/be washed off, yet it had to allow sunshine in for the plants and animals. The height needed to be suitable for adults - ducking down and/or bumping one's head can get old quickly. Obviously it needed to be secure as well, without being cluttered or claustrophobic. The answer was found in greenhouse clear panels combined with wood, wire and aluminum supports. We found the funding through a Go Fund Me page, selling items made from summer fruit and our fresh veggies from the Garden at the Harvest Festival, sympathetic animal loving donors, and the Niemes PTA. Our stalwart volunteer crew, Jane and Nick Soon, and Jenny Waldrich Sersion, assisted in building a design engineered by Jim Danno, with help from Lowe's employee, Ken Irvine. There is some planting yet to be done (Green Iguanas are tropical lizards), and a better sleeping area designed, but our turtles and Iggy, are safe and sound for now, thanks to the generous spirit of many people!
We had certain requirements for the Rebuild. It had to have a shed style roof so that the leaves and branches that fell from the ash tree could slide/be washed off, yet it had to allow sunshine in for the plants and animals. The height needed to be suitable for adults - ducking down and/or bumping one's head can get old quickly. Obviously it needed to be secure as well, without being cluttered or claustrophobic. The answer was found in greenhouse clear panels combined with wood, wire and aluminum supports. We found the funding through a Go Fund Me page, selling items made from summer fruit and our fresh veggies from the Garden at the Harvest Festival, sympathetic animal loving donors, and the Niemes PTA. Our stalwart volunteer crew, Jane and Nick Soon, and Jenny Waldrich Sersion, assisted in building a design engineered by Jim Danno, with help from Lowe's employee, Ken Irvine. There is some planting yet to be done (Green Iguanas are tropical lizards), and a better sleeping area designed, but our turtles and Iggy, are safe and sound for now, thanks to the generous spirit of many people!