Kathy Cavender - Runge manager enjoys connecting people to nature

Runge Nature Center's Kathy Cavender poses inside the center's lobby.
Runge Nature Center's Kathy Cavender poses inside the center's lobby.

Kathy Cavender has been the manager of the Runge Conservation Nature Center in Jefferson City for 15 years.

She started her Conservation career as a naturalist in the main office on Truman Boulevard. She has seen a lot of changes come to the Runge Center. One of the more recent large events she has witnessed was the 20th anniversary of the center in 2013.

"My job is to ensure that we are connecting people in the area and community to nature and help them understand conservation," Cavender said. "We are basically educational, and my job is to oversee the programs here and to oversee staffing and the facility in the area and to ensure we are meeting our goals."

The programs cater to a variety of ages from parents and babies, to toddlers and teens and even adult programs, such as hiking and backpacking clubs.

"I love seeing the "ah-ha' moments that kids have when the light switch goes on," she said. "It is that moment when somebody, anybody, but mostly kids, when they have that raw enthusiasm for the outdoors because of something that has been presented at the site."

None of the programs, she said, would be possible if it were not for the around 50 volunteers that work with her.

"It is not the same thing every day because you are dealing with the public," she said. "I usually start my day off with a list of things I want to get done that day, and I can be very busy that day and never get anything on that list done because you never know what the public is going to be asking. ... That is one of the things I like about this job."