Campaign Goal Three

Educate

Foster an education environment that immerses and empowers generations of learners to protect and restore our land and water resources.

$3 MILLION TO EDUCATE OVER 10,000 STUDENTS, VOLUNTEERS & COMMUNITY MEMBERS EACH YEAR

CLIMBERS RUN NATURE CENTER beckons you to explore. It is a special preserve with upland and lowland plant communities, meadows, fields, maturing and young woodlands, wetlands, a wild trout stream, and pond—a showcase of diverse wildlife habitats not often found in one location, let alone just 113 acres.

Climbers Run is also a place where students, volunteers, families, researchers, birders, hikers, and more can receive hands on learning, focused instruction, and immersive interpretation of our natural world. Partnerships begun in 2014 with area schools, scout troops, and education partners can continue to grow as ongoing site and facility improvements provide an accessible and quality space to learn about nature. Volunteer training and engagement, lecture series and workshops are poised to be expanded to cultivate a thriving movement of citizen scientists and land stewards.

Our goal is to raise $3 million to support Climbers Run Nature Center, both for habitat and capital improvements, but also for an endowment to ensure ongoing education programming and volunteer training. Your donation will be matched by the continued and dedicated pursuit of grants to ensure long term sustainability.

Facility Improvements

  • Modernize the two meeting spaces for research, projection, and video broadcasting so that workshops and training sessions can be recorded and shared with a wider audience.
  • Restore offices on second floor of barn to accommodate Nature Center staffing needs with workstations that include internet access, desks, and computers.
  • Add an observation platform to the second floor that looks out over the lower meadow and stream— creating an accessible outdoor space for education and gathering.

Preserve Infrastructure

  • Improve the safety of visitors (particularly for school buses) by widening the driveway to two lanes.
  • Increase on-site parking to safely accommodate larger groups and meet the logistical needs of our partners and our own expanded program offerings.
  • Repair the pond to prevent it from breaching into the Climbers Run stream—protecting two ecosystems for both learning and study.
  • Strengthen the preserve’s wetlands to capture and clean stormwater runoff on-site.
  • Install two bridges over the stream to provide safe access to all sections of the preserves, while also protecting precious streamside ecosystems.

Outdoor Classrooms

  • Create functional outdoor classroom areas where students and youth can gather and learn from instructors while immersed in nature.
  • Restore native habitats around the barn, in the meadow, and in the lower field to create better bird, animal, and pollinator habitats that provide educational opportunities as interpretive sites and demonstration gardens.
  • Improve bird blind area to create a quality viewing station with video streaming capability to broadcast this nature observation experience from the preserve to homes and classrooms.
At Climbers Run Nature Center, students of all ages are welcome to explore and learn from naturalists dedicated to revealing the miracles of nature, both large and small. We are delighted to see Climbers Run serve as the Conservancy’s very own trifecta—bringing in students to learn, volunteers to provide expert stewardship, and the broader community to enjoy the Center’s magnificent trails and seemingly endless ecological diversity.

GINA & TOM RUSSO, PROTECT & RESTORE CAMPAIGN HONORARY CHAIRS

We Need Your Help

Gifts of all sizes are needed, and every gift will make a difference in this $21 million fundraising campaign. Gifts can be made in many forms, including cash, gifts of stock/bonds/mutual funs, personal property, and real estate. Commitments may be paid over a period of up to five years and you may augment your current gift with a new or increased planned/estate gift.

For more information on how to get involved in this campaign please contact
Fritz Schroeder, SR VP of Community Impact, 717-392-7891 x210
fschroeder@lancasterconservancy.org

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