Monona, WI. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC) is thrilled to announce the launch of our $3 million Building Our Legacy: Sustainability Now & Into the Future Campaign, a transformative initiative designed to fund equitable education, improve our facility, and grow our endowment fund.
“Childhood experiences set individuals up for success in their lives, and the benefits of time spent outdoors is critical to developing healthy and happy bodies and minds. For more than 30 years, we have been the place for hands-on environmental education in Dane County, inspiring children and families to connect with nature,” said Betsy Parker, President & Executive Director of ALNC. “The Building Our Legacy Campaign will allow us to keep essential program fees low, upgrade our aging facilities, and secure our future so that future generations can continue learning and growing with us.”
The campaign will focus on three key pillars:
● Equitable Education Initiatives: fund low- or no-cost programs and bridge financial, language, and transportation barriers; support Nature Net: The Environmental Learning Network; and provide equitable staff compensation to retain quality staff
● Essential Capital Improvements: Install engaging, multi-language interpretive signage; replace boardwalk, outdated roof, and solar panels; restore trails, docks, and bridges for accessibility; upgrade Science on a Sphere and the Immersion Theater climate science exhibits
● Access for Generations to Come: Grow endowment fund to annually support access initiatives
With lead gifts from the W. Jerome Frautschi and Pleasant T. Rowland Foundations, the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, and Diane Endres Ballweg, the campaign is gaining momentum at 89% fulfilled. With $341K left to raise, ALNC invites those who love the outdoors to join the campaign and inspire hope in the future by purchasing a commemorative maple leaf to hang above the tree in the lobby, a lasting symbol of the community coming together to build a legacy of environmental education, stewardship, and sustainability.
“This is more than a campaign—it’s a movement to preserve and enhance outdoor education in our community,” said Betsy. “Together, we can build a legacy – rooted in nature – that lasts.”
For more information about the Building Our Legacy Campaign, including ways to get involved, aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org/support/building-our-legacy-campaign or contact Kelley Van Egeren at kelley@aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org or (608) 335-3155.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC) is a private, not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to the conservation land ethic of Aldo Leopold. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s mission is to nurture children, their well-being, and environmental sustainability through connecting and learning in nature. ALNC provides hands-on environmental programming for school children and their families, reaching tens of thousands of people annually. In addition, ALNC sponsors Nature Net: the Environmental Learning Network, which promotes environmental education for children by organizing collaborative networks of nature centers throughout Wisconsin.