Sad ending for group committed to displaying wildlife

For Ted Mittelstadt, it’s a sad ending to something he has been involved with for most of his life.
As president of the Izaak Walton League, Mittelstadt has led a group of volunteers over the past few weeks in moving out of a building the Ikes have occupied on the Steele County Fairgrounds for more than 80 years.
“It has been a source of pride,” Mittelstadt said. “We were part of the fair, and people have enjoyed the building.”
Although Ikes members didn’t track official numbers, Mittelstadt estimated about 3,000 people per day came through the building, which was constructed in 1938 as part of the Works Progress Administration Project. The WPA was an American New Deal agency, employing millions of job-seekers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads.
“It was built to be a game and fish building for the fair,” Mittelstadt said pointing to its rustic look for wildlife.
Last month, the Steele County Fair Board decided to end its lease with the Ikes, leaving volunteers scrambling to find a new home for more than 30 taxidermy mounts, dozens of African mounts and glass cases that have been displayed at the fair for decades.
“For 40 years I have been doing something here,” said Mittelstadt as he sighed after moving some items on a recent Saturday afternoon. “I’m sad about it.”
But Mittelstadt is trying to keep himself and the rest of his group optimistic for the future. And he’s adamant the Ikes’ passion for community service will not disappear because of this latest setback.
“We are not going to reduce what we do for the community,” Mittelstadt said. “We will have to figure out a new way of community outreach. This is a new chapter in life… we’ll figure out something else to do.”
As for the items that have been stored at the fairgrounds, Ikes members are moving them to the chapter house, which is known as the Albert F. Reding Environmental Education Center located south of Owatonna.
One of Mittelstadt’s favorites is a glass case with a painted woods background containing a pair of fawns that were killed in Owatonna when he was growing up in the early 1960s. He recalled how his father Clarence latched on to the fawns after a vehicle crashed into the doe. “The doe got hit and the fawns flew out,” he said, adding his father initially stored the fawns in a deep freezer at their house for a few months.
“I have this connection (with the fawn case). I want it to stick around,” said Mittelstadt, adding the case will be one of the items moved to the chapter house.
Some of the North American items have been donated to the Owatonna High School, which has the proper permits to keep wildlife, Mittelstadt said.
While the Ikes will miss their spot at the fairgrounds, Mittelstadt said they are excited about the Woody Reserve, a spot of 100-acres of donated land that is being turned into a wilderness area for the public’s enjoyment. The land is located on County Road 45 south of Steele Center.
“We have done all the trail work out there so people can enjoy it,” said Mittelstadt, adding there are deer, turkeys and pheasants in the area. No hunting is allowed in the area.
The Ikes will be holding a rummage sale Friday evening and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the fairgrounds as a fundraiser for the organization, which has 60 members in Steele County.