In addition to the main gardens at Allerton Park and Retreat Center, there are 1,500 acres of grounds that have to be maintained, and Nate Beccue manages to do it all by himself.
Beccue, a visiting natural areas manager, began working at Allerton in 2000 as summer help while he was completing his undergraduate degree in natural resources and environmental sciences at the U. of I. After completing his master’s degree at the U. of I. in 2004, Beccue was hired on full-time in his current position.
“(Allerton has) one of the largest contiguous forests in central Illinois,” he said. “It’s a really attractive place for migrating birds and any type of wildlife. It’s rich in plant species.”
During the summer months, he hires one or two student interns to help him, but the bulk of the work is his responsibility, including managing 14 miles of hiking trails and working with the invasive species that grow within the area.
If someone on campus wants to study birds, plants, trees or any type of natural resource, he helps coordinate the research.
Between October and January, he handles the deer-management program, which involves coordinating the hunters who come to the park and taking samples of the deer to test for diseases. Around 2000, the white-tailed deer population surged, so the hunting program debuted in 2004 to thin the herd.
He also teaches some adult classes, does outreach work and leads nature hikes. The monthly guided natural areas hikes are limited to 25-50 people, and he teaches some workshop-type classes.
“My favorite feature in the park is the large contiguous areas of floodplain forest along the Sangamon River,” he said.
Before Beccue came along, the natural area was growing wild and free, more or less. Volunteers from the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources tried to take on parts of the park to deal with the invasive plants, but no one managed the natural areas of Allerton on a full-time basis.
Most of his time at work is spent outside, which Beccue enjoys. He said working without much of a budget is difficult, explaining that Allerton has always gotten a small amount of money from the U. of I. but that most of its funding comes from an endowment and from program revenues.
Beccue hasn’t worked at Allerton continuously since he began full-time in 2004. In 2008, he moved away for four years, and when he returned he worked at the Illinois Natural History Survey. In 2014, he returned to Allerton in the same position that he previously held
Spending time with animals, trees and plants has always interested Beccue. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three sons.
Allerton’s master plan was recently approved. If Allerton can raise the money, the park will add a small downtown area at the park, including a place for artists, shops, an environmental educational center and a place to eat. The project is in the fundraising phase and the plan will begin development when the funds are raised.
He said the park is a beautiful, free place for people to spend time. People visit Allerton for different reasons, including the gardens, natural areas and trails, concerts, other events, the open space and more.
“We at Allerton feel like (the park) is probably underutilized for recreation,” he said.
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