The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has named a new head for its new nature center in Springdale. Schelly Corry will be taking over the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, which is slated to open in fall 2020.
An Alabama transplant, Corry most recently served as vice president of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. She previously oversaw the planning, design and construction of the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur, Ala., in addition to serving as the museum’s executive director.
“This next step seems like coming full-circle to me,” Corry said in a statement. “My first job was at a similar nature center in Texas, the Heard Natural Science Museum. Outdoor programming was a major component there and it fueled my passion. This nature center is the same, with both indoor and outdoor components to deliver our message.”
Corry obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology and education from Dallas Baptist University, a graduate certificate in free-choice learning (museum studies) from Oregon State University and two Montessori teaching degrees in early childhood and elementary education.
Located near Interstate 49, the new nature center will encompass 61 acres with an outdoor archery range, a northern bobwhite education pavilion, walking and biking trails, outdoor classrooms and more.
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