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4(% 02!)2)% %#/,/'9 #%.4%2 A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Despite living in a region focused on rural agriculture, many young people in Southwestern Minnesota are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, have little tangible connection to the land, and lack even basic knowledge of local ecosystems and their importance. Currently, the region has no true nature center to call its own, other than the Prairie Ecology Center. For individuals interested in learning about our natural environment and natural heritage, options are limited. Home of the Prairie Ecology Bus
The Prairie Ecology Center (PEC) provides environmental education outreach throughout rural, southwestern Minnesota and northern Iowa. It is home to the Prairie Ecology Bus, a state-of-the-art mobile scientific laboratory and classroom designed to educate school children and adults about the environmental and natural sciences.
Seating up to 32, the Ecology Bus takes students to outdoor learning sites in their own communities, providing all the tools they need to conduct scientific investigations of local ecosystems. The only one of its kind in North America, the Ecology Bus programs have logged over 175,000 miles to more than 20 counties in the region since 1994. A Need for Improved Facility Support
Home base for the Ecology Bus Center is Sparks Park, a 40acre historic pioneer site in the southwestern Minnesota town of Lakefield. A small donated 1940’s farmhouse serves as the administrative headquarters for PEC, which includes office space for three full-time staff, classroom space for small groups, natural science displays, and storage. Currently, a lack of adequate program and staff space at the Sparks Park farmhouse is a key issue limiting both current outreach and expanded regional and local site-based programming.
“...to be a vehicle for understanding and appreciating the natural wonders in our own backyards.” -
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02/#%33 /6%26)%7 The Prairie Ecology Center has undertaken a master planning effort aimed at improving the organization’s capacity to provide educational programs within the region. The goals of this unique integrated master planning process were to develop a long-term guide for policy, operations, maintenance, and capital improvements. The plan will also serve as a guide for program development, staffing, and volunteer involvement. Key planning components included strategic and business planning, interpretive planning, and site/facility planning.
A multi-day strategic Visioning Workshop was organized by Corky McReynolds, a nationally-recognized expert on planning for environmental centers, with participation by members of the Prairie Ecology Center’s Board of Directors and regional civic leaders. The workshop examined the Center’s core mission, principles, and values. A wide ranging list of ideas and possibilities were debated and winnowed into clearly defined Vision Statements that will be used to guide to organization over the next 7-10 years.
Recognizing the unique funding challenges within the mostly rural, farming region of southwestern Minnesota, the plan focused on establishing a realistic business plan for the future. An operational pro-forma budget was established that identifies potential sources of revenue. The primary goal is to establish a plan for long-term economic sustainability.
“Discovering nature is healthy and fun: The Prairie Ecology Center is a place to discover nature.” An interpretive plan helps shape the educational messages an organization wishes to communicate. Led by The 106 Group, a St. Paul-based firm specializing in interpretive planning, an interpretive master plan was developed for the Prairie Ecology Center. The plan identifies opportunities within Sparks Park to develop interpretive themes for outdoor trails and spaces, and for interior interpretive exhibits. Ongoing restoration of the Sparks Park landscape through volunteer community stewardship is a key interpretive plan recommendation . Featuring a diverse subset of riverine, woodland, and prairie ecosystems within a larger regional watershed, Sparks Park can, over time, become a model for ecological restoration.
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As part of the master plan, the Prairie Ecology Center established a goal of creating a modest, yet functional and highly sustainable new facility to support current outreach programs, and to provide improved on-site access and programming for the community and region. The site and facility plan was developed by The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc. (TKWA), of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Lakefield High School graduate, Wayne Reckard, was part of the TKWA project team for the Prairie Ecology Center. Key sustainable features of the proposed new facility include:
• Strawbale construction, which uses a locally available, highly insulative, low-cost and long-lasting building material. • Roof mounted photovoltaic array to generate electricity from the sun. • Abundant natural daylight and ventilation to reduce energy costs and improve occupant comfort. • A geothermal system, which uses the earth to help heat and cool the building. • Improved water conservation and stormwater management.
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"5),$).' &/2 4(% &5452% The Master Plan Vision
The comprehensive master plan developed by the Prairie Ecology Center sets out a clear vision for the future. The goals established by the plan are focused on helping the center incrementally build organizational capacity, increase volunteer support, expand community outreach, and to provide much needed infrastructure improvements. Creating a New ‘Home Base’
The centerpiece of the plan includes creation of a new, permanent environmental education center within historic Sparks Park. This modest new facility will provide much-needed administrative, classroom, and storage capacity to support existing Ecology Bus outreach programs. Further, the building will create opportunities for innovative local programming, offer interpretive exhibits and natural science collections, serve as a trailhead for newly developed interpretive trails within the park, and provide an attractive new venue for regional and local community events. Becoming a Model of Environmental Stewardship
Above all, the Prairie Ecology Center seeks to expand its role as a model of environmental stewardship. The Center will
continue to provide environmental education and outreach throughout the region. The Center will demonstrate longterm restoration strategies for the prairie, wetland, and woodland areas within Sparks Parks. The newly built Prairie Ecology Center headquarters will incorporate sustainable design strategies that offer a model for energy efficient and resource-wise construction appropriate for our Midwestern climate. How Can You Help?
There are many ways you can support this vision of the future for the Prairie Ecology Center. Become a volunteer. Invite PEC to your school or organization. You can also make a financial or in-kind donation to the Center. For more information, feel free to contact us.
#/.4!#4 ).&/2-!4)/. Prairie Ecology Bus Center 935 North Highway 86, P.O. Box 429, Lakefield, MN 56150 phone: 507.662.5064 | website: www.ecologybus.org The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc. W61 N617 Mequon Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012 phone: 262.377.6039 | website: www.tkwa.com
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