Soon visitors to McFarland Park can see nature both indoors and outdoors.

A project is well underway at McFarland Park to create an 8-by-24-foot mural in the main building.

With the help of some of his students, Dean Beichler, part-time instructor of biological/premedical illustration, has taken on the challenge of artistically recreating several local wildlife habitats on canvas.

The Story County Conservation Agency decided to approach him with their idea for the project after seeing a mural and diorama in Buchanan County depicting prairie wetlands and an upland prairie that he made several years ago.

Beichler designed the McFarland mural with the input of several conservation center employees.

This new piece incorporates habitats of the county: a river system, woodlands, a prairie savanna, an upland prairie and prairie wetlands, he said. These habitats are designed to flow across the mural in a smooth transition through the four seasons.

Beichler said that not only will the end product show paintings of wildlife in their natural environments, it will also include a relief of a tree, a soil profile integrating real grasses and a simulated path.

Jerry Keys, education coordinator at the conservation agency, said education is the main purpose behind the mural. Visitors will be able to see all kinds of wildlife and what they look like in different seasons.

“The whole idea of the mural is to educate people on the three main habitats in the county: woodlands, prairies and wetlands, and the fact that they are constantly changing,” Keys said. “Our hope is that it will inspire them to go out and see these things in the outside world.”

He also said that signs will be posted inviting people to find various animals, insects and plants.

Several of Beichler’s students have been working with him on the piece since late last summer. At the work’s completion, they will be paid based on the time they spent working on the project.

Rachel Rosteck, senior in biological/premedical illustration, has been working on the mural through the entire process of gridding, drawing and finally painting.

“It has been a lot of fun watching the progress of the mural,” she said.

“Dean has shown us new techniques, so it has been a good learning experience,” she said.

Although many people were involved in making the mural, Beichler said the final piece will look like one artist created it.

In addition to teaching upper-level science illustration classes, Beichler also runs his own studio, Chichaqua Bend Studios, which specializes in science and medical illustration, painting restoration and mural painting.

He has also been active in the restoration of several pieces on campus, such as the paintings of Dwight Kirsch, Dean McKay and Dean Curtiss. “This is what I love to do,” Beichler said.

The mural is scheduled to be completed for an open house on Sunday.