GO WILD

CAMPAIGN FOR THE NEW WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER

NEARING COMPLETION!

Through donors like you, now we have completed the exterior of the building, the activation of the 60W of solar panels, and nearly completed the interior. The generosity of the Wild Bear community has committed to a model of excellence that will offer the Front Range an exquisite, high-elevation net-zero nature center, open year-round.

There are still opportunities to be part of this beautiful solution. Wild Bear continues to secure the funds to purchase and install landscaping and exhibits, and to prepare for visitors, students, and events.

JOIN US IN THIS IMPORTANT CLIMATE INITIATIVE!

Wild Energy Campaign

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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 had served the community well before it burned down in October of 2025, being located in nature will allow us to achieve our mission in whole.

On October 9, 2025, the Wild Bear interim nature center, located in the Nederland shopping center on a cement parking lot, was leveled by fire. While the former nature center greeted many curious children and enthusiastic adults over the years, Wild Bear had been at capacity for some time, and dreamed of the day it could have direct access to trails and open space.

Fortunately, the new nature center was already under construction at the time of the fire. This new center will allow for much-needed expansion of all ages nature experiences. The new nature center will have a robust exhibit hall, large community spaces for public programs, a makerspace for both youth and adult programs, and will house a new nature-based preschool - all at a location that has direct access to 3,000 acres of open space.

Located on the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, the new center will allow for direct connections to birding, wildlife viewing, wild botany, and insect studies right outside its doors. The center was also designed to solve one of our previous challenges–serving children and families while also meeting new visitors and encouraging their exploration of exhibits.

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.

DONATIONS RAISED TO DATE

$6,059,000

BUILDING PROGRESS TRACKER

Moving The Cabin

June 2023

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.
Digging Has Begun

June 2023
Digging has begun in earnest to prepare for the foundation to be put in.
Excavation Work

February 2024
We are grateful for the excellent excavation work from High-Performance Earthworks, who are continuing site work to prepare us for framing and will start on utilities soon.
Excavation Is Complete!

June 2023

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

July 2023

We are working on the lower level, footings, and elevator pad construction.
Elevator Update

July 2023

The ELEVATOR pad has been 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.
Elevator & Wall Progress

August 2023

The “Ride to the Sky” is coming along, and the nature center walls are being poured!
Electrical Completion

April 2024
We have completed the plumbing, electrical, radon, exterior insulation, and waterproofing. We have completed our inspections with flying colors!
Steel Framing has begun

The Steel Frame has been a major accomplishment! The teamwork involved must be commended.
Framing is progressing!

Now, the full framing moves forward with the completion of the steel frame! GO WILD!
Prepping for the windows!

The building is fully waterproofed and getting ready for the passive solar windows
Passive Solar Certifiable Windows are installed!

These windows are complete with Bird Glass, preventing collisions with our feathered friends. The passive solar windows will make it possible for Wild Bear Nature Center to produce more energy than it will consume!
Core 10 Corrugated Steel Exterior!

Our team is now installing the skin, sealing in the energy that the building will produce/
Corrugated Steel and Standing Seam Roof, June 2025

Now we prep for all of the energy systems: 50KW of solar, heat pumps, HVAC, , insulation and plumbing
The Interior, June 2025

Inside the building, there is beautiful natural light shining in on the community spaces.