Dr. Clara N. Applegate on Preserving Local Parks

Thanks to her passion for giving back to the environment, Dr. Clara N. Applegate (West Plains Neurology Winner) joined the West Plains Park Association. “I’ve run the stroke program for 25 years and that is 24/7, 12 to 14 hours a day,” she says. “But I just decided this year I would make time. I’ve been here for a long time and felt like I needed to start branching out and doing more for the community.”

Applegate was fascinated by how West Plains’s 15 parks could be improved.  “I was particularly interested in Galloway Park because I love Galloway Creek Greenway in Springfield,” she says. “I’ve been watching their progress in trying to eradicate all the invasive plants, which is a huge job, and we need to do that here as well. That was my interest in joining—to try to help our parks become more friendly to our local species.”

Since she joined the board, it has made a plan to gradually start making changes to local plant life, eradicating invasive species and bringing in more indigenous plants. Applegate also discovered her new favorite feature of Galloway Park: its beaver population. “The park association saved the beaver population,” she says. “The population of beavers have since built a dam, and they are much loved by the children here because they’re so neat.”

Applegate’s passion for native plants also spreads into her personal life. “At my own home I completely eradicated the grass and weeds, burned it off and then planted native plants,” she says.

“I’ve got a backyard full of wonderful things like bee balm and coneflower and things that grow here to attract pollinators.”

Since her commitment to make time for volunteering, Applegate has seen the impact it has made on her own life. “I think you get back twice as much as you give,” she says. “We are so restricted in our daily lives pursuing our careers, but it’s vital, just getting to know people in the community and letting them know you care. I think it’s really important each of us do that.’