Since 1995, Wild Bear has been committed to serving the community by providing top quality and affordable natural science education programs for youth and families. Wild Bear’s passionate roots to science education and the preservation of Colorado began as a small program serving 24 children in the summer of 1995, growing to serve thousands of people of all ages every year. Founded by an elementary school teacher, Wild Bear’s passionate vision was inspired by the belief that learning should be life-long, occurring every day and all day and throughout our lives. In addition to its solid youth programs, Wild Bear Center also offers two very successful annual family workshops. Since 2000 in collaboration with NCAR, Wild Earth Saturday engages thousands of people in a celebration of the earth, offering workshops, activities and entertainment to educate about the earth and our impact on it. Planned and implemented by Wild Bear Center, this free event brings thousands of people from throughout the region out to the prestigious National Center for Atmospheric Research, where families can participate in educational workshops and entertainment in celebration of the earth. The Enchanted Forest, a volunteer planned and implemented event, draws hundreds of families from all over the region to Wild Bear’s property at Mud Lake, meeting the wildlife and learning about their unique habits and how we can peacefully coexist. Children and their families from throughout the region enjoy Wild Bear’s property at Mud Lake, where they go on a tour of the Linnea’s Loop trail and meet 7 animals (such as Black Bear, Coyote, Mountain Lion, Raccoon, and Bobcat), costumed characters who tell about their lives in the forest and what they need from us to survive.
The long-term vision from Wild Bear’s modest beginnings in 1995 was to create a nature center facility in the mountains near Nederland to provide the general public with opportunities to learn together about their own backyard. In 1999, Wild Bear collaborated with Boulder County Open Space and the Town of Nederland to preserve over 200 acres of land north of Nederland, Colorado; voters approved this plan including the development of the Nature Center by Wild Bear. Over the next two years, Wild Bear successfully raised $100,000 through private donations, and now Wild Bear owns 5 acres amid the Mud Lake Open Space. In July of 2000, Wild Bear organized 134 volunteers to remove over 30 tons of trash off of the Mud Lake property allowing it to regenerate to its natural state. Between 2005-2007, through a Great Outdoors Lottery grant and individual donations Wild Bear has developed and received full approvals to create an off-grid nature center at Mud Lake that will serve locals and visitors alike for generations to come.
Now, through generous gifts from community members, Wild Bear Center has opened a permanent space in downtown Nederland, where visitors and locals alike can engage in workshops, enjoy exhibits highlighting the local and global environment, and contemplate our impact thereon. This 2200 sq. foot facility is located in the downtown Shopping Center. Through generous gifts from members of the regional community, Wild Bear’s volunteer committee designed and renovated this environmentally conscious space. Donors have also collectively paid for the first year’s rent. This “Mountain Ecology Center” opened over Memorial Day weekend, 2010 and enjoyed the highest summer enrollment in Wild Bear history! Now Wild Bear is offering workshops for adults, and families in both free and fee-based ongoing learning opportunities. It also houses Wild Earth Goods, a fundraising vehicle in the form of an ecologically conscious art & gift shop providing an earned income line in Wild Bear’s budget. The downtown location has created a cohesive space in which to operate as well as an expanded ability to serve the general public on a daily basis. Open 7 days per week, Wild Bear has created exhibits in the space, highlighting the preservation and clean up of Mud Lake as offering interactive educational information about Raptors, Arthropods and more. Visitors from all over the world have been enjoying this new resource in Boulder County as another free educational opportunity provided by Wild Bear Center.
These goals were accomplished on a modest budget, without a continuous space in which to operate. Wild Bear Center has moved 8 times over the last 12 years and is thrilled to be operating in a place of its own. Through generous support from donors, foundations and other funders, , Wild Bear Center continues to grow and expand as recognized environmental education leaders serving the Greater Denver area. Wild Bear was the proud recipient of El Pomar Foundation’s Award for Excellence in 2006.
Thank You Sponsors!
