Help MDC monitor nature’s changes with new Chronolog station at Cape Nature Center

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – If you’ve walked Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center’s Ridgetop Trail, you may have noticed a curious post with a phone bracket attached. That post is part of Chronolog — a nationwide community science project documenting environmental changes over time.

“Chronolog stations allow visitors to contribute to long-term monitoring of landscapes by capturing repeat photographs,” said Laci Prucinsky, MDC Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center manager. “Simply place your phone in the bracket, snap a picture of the same view, and email it to the address listed on the sign.”

Your photo is then instantly part of an ongoing timelapse that shows seasonal and annual changes, such as plants blooming, trees budding, or the effects of weather and land management techniques, she said.

Prucinsky said the Ridgetop Trail Chronolog station is focused on Farkleberry Knob — a site actively managed through prescribed fire and other conservation practices.

“The goal is to restore and maintain a white oak savanna, a unique landscape of widely spaced oak trees with a sun-dappled understory of native grasses and wildflowers,” she said.

Environmental change can be subtle and slow, Prucinsky explained, making it hard to track without consistent documentation.

“Chronolog empowers the public to participate in real conservation science with just a smartphone,” she said.

You can view the growing timelapse online at https://www.chronolog.io/site/CNC101 and watch as the landscape transforms throughout the seasons and across years.

“The next time you’re hiking the Ridgetop Trail, stop at the Chronolog station, snap a photo, and be a part of Missouri’s conservation story, one image at a time,” Prucinsky added.

Stay Connected 

Questions? Email MDC Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center Manager Laci Prucinsky at Laci.Prucinsky@mdc.mo.gov, or contact the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center at (573) 290-5218.

Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center sends program registration reminders and updates to those who sign up by texting “MDC Nature” to 468311. An online subscription is also available to “sign up for updates” at www.mdc.mo.gov. A variety of updates are available at this option, but Cape Girardeau specific updates are available under facility updates and news for southeast region.

Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center features two miles of winding nature trails, wildlife-viewing areas, hands-on exhibits, MDC’s Nature Shop, an exhibit gallery featuring Paul Corbin’s collection of Native American artifacts, a children's play area, and several freshwater aquariums.

Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center is located at 2289 County Park Dr. in Cape Girardeau, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. White Oak Trace Trails are open daily, from sunrise to 10 p.m.