By Brigid Tuck
They are the quiet volunteers. Known up and down the Minnesota River Valley for their enthusiasm and love of nature, Art and Barb Straub seek neither fame nor recognition. Characteristically, when informed they would be the featured volunteers in the Ney Nature Center newsletter, they responded, “Oh no, don’t write about us, write about the bird count.”
The Straubs have been living, working, volunteering, and contributing in the Le Sueur-Henderson area for decades. Barb was born into the Iten family and spent her childhood years in a house on North 4th Street in Le Sueur. Art is the eldest of the boisterous, if somewhat infamous, Straub clan. In full disclosure, Art’s mother was a sister of my own grandmother. High school sweethearts, they both went off to college to earn degrees in education.
Family lore says that Art and Barb were engaged one summer while working at Green Giant. According to the story, it was the “event of the summer” because they were “such a nice couple.” Apparently my grandmother and aunt also worked there that summer and were quite thrilled about the engagement.
Art and Barb were actively involved at St. Anne’s school in Le Sueur. When I was a student, Barb was my first grade teacher and Art the principal. Art even filled in part-time as my teacher when I was in fourth grade. (He taught us science, of course!)
While retired from their formal teaching positions, they both remain passionate about education, particularly nature-based education. They have also expanded their audience, working with children and adults from preschoolers to junior high students to the elderly.
For the Ney Nature Center, they remain “on call.” They are willing and ready to help with projects and activities around the Ney. In fact, our first fundraiser featured the Straubs giving a presentation on “Spring in the Valley.” Of course, it took place in April during a major snowstorm, so the audience was left to dream of spring. Every fall, the Straubs play host to Le Sueur-Henderson area preschoolers whom they lovingly refer to as “the clean slate.”
This past fall was quite the excitement as the Straubs had a real live opossum to show the children. They even got to see its sharp teeth! One year they had a mudpuppy swimming in water for the children to observe. The Straubs trap and catch live animals at their cabin perched along the Minnesota River.
The Straubs also host civic, religious, and community groups at the NNC. They led a moonlight walk as a joint Ney-Community Education class, have hosted the Le Sueur Lions, and recently led a church group in celebration at the Ney.
Beyond their work at the Ney, the Straubs continue to teach about nature and are currently offering sessions for children at both Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and at Bethany College in Mankato. They go into schools all across southern Minnesota – places nearby such as Green Isle and even as far as Marshall. At nursing homes they lead residents in both lessons about nature and in singing. They also remain active in their religious faith, singing and playing music for funerals. They volunteer at the JR Brown Center in Henderson.
The Straubs are birding enthusiasts. On the day of the interview, they are at the Ney Nature Center busy tabulating the results of the annual Christmas Bird Count. Every year, the Straubs invite local residents to keep tally of the birds they see on the third Saturday in December. The tallies are then submitted to the NNC where Art and Barb assemble the final count. Art can identify a bird flittering around the prairie or soaring over the river by its size, shape, call and behavior. They are commenting on who reported seeing what bird. Someone reported seeing a house wren. “Ahhh…but house wrens do not winter in Minnesota,” Art comments. “I would not believe this report,” he continues, “but the other morning the gentleman showed up at my front door with the bird itself.” Apparently, the bird had become entangled in a mousetrap. Art continues, “The Audubon Society is not going to believe this, but I have the specimen.” While the official results are not ready for distribution, it appears people saw everything from wild turkeys to chickadees to woodpeckers to pheasants. A redheaded woodpecker was spotted (unusual for this time of year) along with the aforementioned house wren.
Everyone, as well as the Ney Nature Center is indebted to the Straubs for their time, their energy, and especially their love of nature.
