By Maggie Fitzpatrick
Burlington High School teacher Aron Kehoe never expected to have a job in conservation, but that all changed after teaching a class on biodiversity.
Kehoe, who started working as Des Moines County Conservation’s Community Outdoor Recreation Education Specialist (CORES) in May, got the position by accident.
He was teaching for Burlington High School’s summer program, which offers special interest courses that don’t fit into the regular curriculum.
“I helped teach a class called ‘Local Biodiversity and Human Impact.’ It went really well, and students who weren’t typically engaged were showing up for class, learning, and creating new friendships,” Kehoe said.
Des Moines County Conservation Executive Director Chris Lee worked with Kehoe and fellow teacher Heather Hayes to create this class.
After several years of teaching this summer course, Lee recruited Kehoe for the DMCC’s CORES position, which is funded by grants from the Kiwanis Club of Burlington and the Aldo Leopold Pheasants Forever chapter.
In his role, Kehoe plans free recreational and educational events for people of all ages and backgrounds, such as hikes, bike rides, and disc golf. These events connect participants to community groups and organizations that provide them with recreational activities.
“We want to get more people out into nature. We have many beautiful locations in Des Moines County in which people can explore,” said Kehoe.
Kehoe has coordinated with various community organizations. For example, he helped host an archery activity at Community Day in the Parks on Saturday, where the attendees shot bows. Tim Marshal and Zach and Denissa Cornick helped Kehoe plan this event.
He also partnered with Teresa Heitmeier for an outreach event with s’mores and a hike where he showed individuals with disabilities how to identify plants and animals. Kehoe said they had almost 40 people come, and he plans on doing another event like it in the fall.
Kehoe aims to educate participants and help them make memories. He has several upcoming events toward this aim.
First of all, he has planned a bike ride through the trails from 9 a.m. to noon on July 25, starting at Zion Schoolhouse. Then on Aug. 2, a world triathlon qualifier will teach participants running theory and drills at the How to Run in a Park event from 8-9:30 a.m. at Starr’s Cave Nature Center.
Additionally, DMCC hosts pop-up events to provide more opportunities for individuals to get involved.
Kehoe encourages attendees to RSVP by calling the Nature Center at 319-753-5808.
When planning these activities, Kehoe eliminates as many barriers as possible. Currently, everything he has scheduled is free.
“The best things in my youth were with my grandpa and often in nature, and I don’t think expense should count people out of experiences like that,” said Kehoe.
County residents can even get transportation to some of the events if they call the Nature Center ahead of time. Another goal of Kehoe’s is to reach new demographics. Many attendees are white and middle-class, so he aims to broaden that reach. He said the response from community members has been very positive.
“Everyone I’ve reached out to has either helped me or, if they can’t help me right now, said they will in the future,” said Kehoe.
Even though he has only had the position a short time, he said it makes him “so happy” and “hardly feels like work.”
He loves connecting with people from all different backgrounds and seeing them make memories. Although Kehoe was never particularly interested in conservation and nature growing up, he always loved spending time outdoors, especially for runs and bike rides.
He ran competitively in college while attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater during his undergrad, so he was regularly outside. He received a bachelor’s degree in special education and went on to pursue his master’s degree in secondary education from Southeast Missouri State University.
Kehoe has long had a passion for education, which is why he said teaching was the perfect occupation for him.
“I’ve always loved learning and teaching youth,” said Kehoe.
“The main goal has been to meet students where they are and help them become the best version of themselves. I learn just so much from them and they help me focus on areas in which I can grow, too,” said Kehoe in describing his approach to teaching.
He will continue working part-time as a teacher next school year and applies the same mindset he uses as a teacher to his position at Des Moines County Conservation.
“I want people to learn about nature, not fear it,” said Kehoe.
Going forward, Kehoe wants to keep “bringing joy and making people stewards of conservation.”
Kehoe’s office is at Starr’s Cave Nature Center, along with information about pollinators and a beaver exhibit. The Center is located on Starr’s Cave Parks and Preserve, an 184-acre park with several miles of hiking trails.
Kehoe encourages everyone to check out the Nature Center on Facebook and stop by to see it in person.