GO WILD

CAMPAIGN FOR THE NEW WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER

MAKING PROGRESS!

The Net Positive Nature Center has completed excavation, cement, plumbing, elevator, and so much more. The team has worked through the winter and now is readying for erection of the steel frame. Watch the frame go up this summer!

This well-planned PUBLIC nature center will produce more energy than it uses. It is powered by nature and gives back to the earth. We ARE nature. We are ANIMALS. We are EARTH. We are WATER. We are FIRE. We are AIR.

Join us on this journey!

Drone footage provided by Jeeves Drones.

VIEW THE PROGRESS TRACKER

NAMING OPPORTUNITIES

OUR STORY CHALLENGE SOLUTION BUILDING IMPACT GOAL

Now more than ever, we need nature and nature needs us.

Wild Bear Nature Center will be the highest elevation net-positive nature center open 360 days of the year.

THE STORY

OUR FOUNDER

For elementary school teacher Jill Dreves, nature has always been the best teacher. Jill grew up in the mountains of northern Colorado, where she and her siblings went to a small K-8 school with 30 other local children. Every day, Jill rode her horse and explored the forest. Inspired by an entomologist and neighbor, Jill learned every mountain insect and plant and discovered firsthand the joy of day-long excursions in the woods immersed in nature.

A WILD IDEA

Jill founded Wild Bear Science School in 1995 using $500 from her savings account. Since then, Wild Bear has led thousands of children and adults to explore the outdoors creatively. What Jill intrinsically knew, can now be supported with scientific evidence—free play in nature builds confidence, promotes creativity and imagination, teaches responsibility and increases healthy choices (Cohen 2023). Time spent in nature reduces stress for children and adults—a valuable outcome for an increasingly anxious society.

Today, research shows that children engage in unstructured play outside only 7 minutes per day. Now more than ever, we need nature, and nature needs us. Wild Bear is committed to making a difference for children and future generations.

THE CHALLENGE

Though our downtown nature center location has served the community well, being located in nature will allow us to achieve our mission in whole.

Currently located in the Nederland shopping center on a cement parking lot, Wild Bear is at capacity, and the new location will allow for needed expansion of all ages nature experiences. The new nature center will have dedicated classrooms leading directly into nature, spaces devoted to exhibits, large community spaces for public programs, a kitchen and spaces dedicated to adult programs, and space for a new forest preschool.

Because the current center is located on a cement parking lot, Wild Bear must hold its outdoor-based programs miles away from the nature center, requiring transportation to experience nature. The new nature center will allow for direct connections to birding, wildlife viewing, wild botany, and insect studies right outside the doors onto thousands of wild acres.

Wild Bear currently shares one space in the shopping center for all programs, and the general visitation closes for children’s programs. Public programs are planned around children’s programs. The new nature center has dedicated spaces to children, community programs, exhibits and work spaces to allow for simulaneous opportunities for all ages..

The current nature center in downtown Nederland has served the community well, allowing for significant growth. Now, Wild Bear has outgrown this space, for example offices are located offsite, general visitation is often closed during programs, growth of programs is limited and many programs are at capacity.

THE SOLUTION

Strategically located along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, the new nature center will be a destination for visitors from all over the world, as well as a valuable resource for regional families.

The new nature center will be located on Wild Bear’s 5 acres at the gateway of almost 3,000 wild acres and 16 miles of trail in western Boulder County (within the Town of Nederland). This will allow Wild Bear to engage people directly in nature from the nature center.

The new 8,500-square-foot nature center will include dedicated spaces for exhibits, community program space, three dedicated classrooms, staff and volunteer work spaces, and an observation deck. There will also be an outdoor amphitheater, nature playscape and an interpreted trail.

The new facility allows Wild Bear to focus more fully on accessibility and equity, including ADA-accessible trails and accessible activities throughout the facility. The nature center will be accessible to all visitors to create equitable opportunities in nature.

The new net zero facility greatly expands Wild Bear’s capacity to grow programs for children, adults, families and groups and provide a robust and accessible experience for ALL visitors to the nature center located in wild nature.

TAKE A TOUR HIGHLIGHTING THE RENEWABLE ENERGY FEATURES OF THE NEW NATURE CENTER

THE BUILDING

The approximately 8,500 sq.ft. building will integrate harmoniously into the surrounding landscape with a net-zero (or better) energy footprint.

PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES

for children, families, classrooms, artists, naturalists, and adventurers from the general public to play, observe, and find happiness in the mountains during all four seasons.

EXPAND

educational opportunities with two classrooms, a Makers Space, a dedicated community program space, and an outdoor amphitheater allow for a 25 percent increase in school group programs, adult and family workshops, and children’s programs, including a Forest Preschool.

CREATE SPACE

for new permanent exhibits, including an expanded nature discovery gallery, an observation deck within view of Arapaho Glacier, where Boulder’s water comes from, a wildlife viewing area, an ample indoor community program space, an outdoor amphitheater, a nature playscape, a .5 mile interpreted trail connected to 16 miles of trails on Mud Lake and Caribou Ranch Open Spaces.

BE ENERGY EFFICIENT

and entirely powered by nature as an educational model that also sends power back to the grid. Solar Power is a tight envelope with significant insulation (including being partially underground), allowing Wild Bear to maintain a consistent temperature inside, regardless of outside temperature!

BE ACCESSIBLE

Wild Bear is committed to equitable and inclusive design to allow for opportunities in the nature center and on the landscape to meet the needs of its diverse visitors and participants.

INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLAN

intends to set the direction for how Wild Bear’s facility engages its audience through the built opportunities on the site and interior spaces to learn informally about local mountain ecosystems and our role in protecting the future of the planet.

View INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLAN

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES

50KW of SOLAR
HIGH PERFORMANCE GLASS
RECYCLED METAL ROOFING & SIDING
SUSTAINABLE WOOD STRUCTURE
PASSIVE COOLING
LED LIGHTING
EXTENSIVE INSULATION
THERMAL MASS CONCRETE FLOORS
XERISCAPE LANDSCAPING

EXTERIOR FEATURES

Stretching the whole eastern boundary of the property, children can freely play in zones for climbing, hiding, digging, building and creating, running, dreaming and learning. There are different zones, with landscaping for nature play and two round deck outdoor classroom spaces within the playscape.
The trail loops around the perimeter of the 5 acres, through and around the distinctive rock outcropping, open aspen meadow, ponderosa and lodgepole pine forest, connecting to the playscape and both sides of the nature center.
Visitors can enjoy a bilingual guidebook to engage with interpretive exhibits along the Wild Bear Hiking Trail such as bird viewing, geology, trees, signs of wildlife, views, stop and breathe the fresh air, and more.
Multiple areas with enhanced native landscape to support native wildlife, including butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Classroom for public programs (campfire talks, when allowed), music, speakers, family celebrations, and children’s groups (school, scouts, homeschool, etc.) for snow school and other educational children’s programs. The area is solar powered for similar use to the indoor public programming space.
The stage will be solar powered for sound (within ordinance) with a tamper-proof fire pit to be used in accordance with County outdoor fire guidelines.
The last remaining remnant of trash from the 30-ton Mud Lake cleanup in 1999-2000. This 1940’s Transit Bus will be renovated into an exhibit for the community to “get on the bus” for the earth and understand our impacts and how to be good stewards. This particular Ford model was made between 1941 and 1947 and was in use on both coasts and in Winnipeg, Canada; but not in Colorado.
At the entry to the nature center with tables for families to sit and enjoy the sun and fresh mountain air as well as rocks for children to climb on and explore with interactive discovery. Coffee and snacks will be available for purchase on the South Patio, making it a popular gathering place to meet and relax between classes and hikes.
Off the Educational space, the door faces east, inspired by the Arapaho indigenous people who moved through this area and always had their tepee entrances facing east. This will be a place where parents can relax while children play on the Nature Playscape.

INTERIOR FEATURES

The hall underscores our place in nature: We are earth, we are fire, we are air, we are water, we are animals. Playful hands-on exhibits as well as serious climate change research (CU Mountain Research Station connection, tundra cam) highlight how we can be good stewards to the earth’s resources of which we depend.
The Wildlife Hall can hold 200 people for public, all-ages programs with guest speakers, movies, panel discussions, music and more. Portable exhibits will provide touch carts, docent driven education.
Visitors can relax and enjoy watching for signs of wildlife, bird viewing, activities for children.
Visitors can enjoy the night sky with telescopes, or use the spotting scopes to spy on the hawks or identify the mountain peaks where Boulder’s water comes from. The Observation Deck is accessed by the Stairway to the Mountain Sky and an elevator.
Occupies the entire ground-level walkout floor, including:
Makers’ Space where people can create using natural materials and recycled art,
Solar Botanical Exploration: South-facing solar gain for botanical exploration, aquaponics, permaculture, and other education that can saddle the sun!
Zoology Live!: Our live animals: Arthropod Zoo, turtles, salamanders, to name a few.
Squirrel’s Kitchen: Catering kitchen, wild culinary classes
Nature’s Classrooms: where we can make one big classroom or a series of smaller ones, depending on the size of the group. And, where people of all ages can engage in hands-on nature education workshops throughout the seasons.
Visitors can enjoy the night sky with telescopes, or use the spotting scopes to spy on the hawks or identify the mountain peaks where Boulder’s water comes from. The Observation Deck is accessed by the Stairway to the Mountain Sky and an elevator.
Leading from the public programming space to the Observation deck. There is also an elevator for ADA access.
Looks over the Education Space where there are classrooms and south facing windows for botany exploration.
For volunteers, faculty, and staff.

THE IMPACT

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

engage directly into nature from the facility.
Full day nature immersed programs throughout the year.
Nature Playscape, hands-on exhibits inside the nature center (live zoology & botany, We Are Nature Hall, Wildlife Viewing window, Observation deck).

ADULT & FAMILY PROGRAMS

People of all ages walk in to engage in professionally developed exhibits, enjoy wildlife viewing window, view the sky from the observation deck, connected to the Playscape for children to play and adults to chat.
Right outside the door of the nature center.
the length of the eastern boundary of the property where children can run, play, get dirty, get creative and imaginative, some interactive spaces, connected to the eastern patio leading into the indoor live exhibits and maker’s space.
For all ages in the large public program space as well as in the outdoor amphitheater.
Integrating both inside and outside the facility. (Wild Bear Citizen Science Projects, family volunteer club, etc.)

GROUP PROGRAMS

Groups of all kinds can enjoy a Wild Bear program! Schools , scouts, elders, families, corporations!

Snow School: Head out on snowshoes to enjoy winter ecology and snow science.

Mud Lake Studies: Engage in discovery of what lives in and around Mud Lake!

Team Building and mindfulness: engage with our staff to learn more about yourself and each other!

All programs include using the nature center as needed: classrooms, exhibits gallery, amphitheater, etc!

THE GOAL
$9,000,000

Reach out to our Founder & Executive Director, Jill Dreves, to find out how you can be a part of this incredible project.

Be a Part of the GoWild Campaign!

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DONATIONS RAISED TO DATE

$6,059,000

BUILDING PROGRESS TRACKER

Digging has begun

6/5/23
Digging has begun in earnest to prepare for the foundation to be put in.
Moving the Cabin

6/13/23
The magic cabin has been lifted away to make room for more excavation. It will temporarily serve as a spot to stop and learn more about the project during hard hat tours.
Excavation is complete!

6/22/23
This is the western boundary where our We ARE Nature Hall will be built, with hands on exhibits inspiring a deep love of nature.
Foundation Essentials

7/7/23
Working on the lower level, footings and elevator pad construction.
Thank you!

7/16/23
Thank you to our amazing local building teams for making so much progress!
Thank you, Richard!

7/19/23
His generous gift of $100,000 will underwrite the solar on the new facility’s roof.
Thank you, Elevations Credit Union!

7/20/23
THANK YOU to Elevations Credit Union for sending employees to Wild Bear Nature Center to build our new GO WILD trail leading to the building project.
Elevator Update

7/21/23
The ELEVATOR pad was poured. Just imagine taking this elevator up to the rooftop observation deck to get a birds-eye view of the continental divide and Arapaho Glacier.
TY, Colorado Health Foundation!

8/9/23
We are so excited to be working with amazing team of advisors for our Equity Centered Community Design Project for the Nature Playscape.
Elevator & wall progress

8/13/23
The “Ride to the Sky” is really coming along, and the nature center walls are being poured!