Opportunities for

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT

Visitor Center       $1,200,000

Woldumar Nature Center is building a new welcoming facility for visitors. Using "green construction", Woldumar will create a place that is handicap accessible, will draw visitors in, and will provide space for updated classrooms and a resource library. The new Visitor's Center will include administrative offices, event facilities with meeting space, and a kitchen that can accommodate catering for special events. Interactive displays, including new taxidermy mounts, habitat exhibits and on occasion, live animal exhibits, will be installed to present information about the plant life, wildlife and history of Woldumar Nature Center in a unique and interesting way. There will be areas for wildlife viewing and room for an expanded gift shop. This facility will be the exciting new hub of activity at Woldumar Nature Center where visitors will find not only a smiling face to answer their questions, but a variety of appealing hands-on exhibits to help them prepare to explore the rest of the nature center.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Plant Labels       $5,000

With 150 acres of diverse wildlife habitat along the banks of the Grand River, Woldumar has a wealth of plant life in forests and fields, wetlands and apple orchards. Labels will help visitors learn more about the abundant flora growing at the nature center. For those who prefer self-guided tours, labels provide an easy way to identify trees, shrubs and herbs. They also provide an excellent way to track the variety of specimens at the nature center.

Trail Markers & Interpretive Signs       $2,000

Visitors are welcome to experience the outdoors at Woldumar throughout Michigan's changing seasons. Permanent trail markers will help recreational visitors to better navigate more than five miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails. The installation of interpretive signs, using text and graphics, will help visitors to understand Woldumar Nature Center's unique resources, features and history.

Hands-on Preschool Environment       $5,000

Woldumar Nature Center is creating an environment in which the whole point is to touch, see and explore. Preschool aged children are inherently curious about the world. In this space, they will be encouraged to learn through play and discovery using hands-on, nature-based activities.

GEO-caching, GPS, GIS Systems       $2,000

Technological enhancements are an exciting addition to Woldumar that will provide interesting and new educational opportunities. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology will be available for scientific investigation, environmental assessment and map making capabilities. In addition, Woldumar Nature Center will be the premiere location in mid-Michigan for geocaching, an outdoor treasure-hunting game of sorts, in which participants use a GPS receiver or other navigational techniques to locate a hidden Òtreasure.Ó Sometimes referred to as 'hiking with a purpose', the addition of geocaching activities at Woldumar will add an exciting dimension to the study of nature.

Tree House Library       $30,000

Within the new Visitor's Center, Woldumar will construct a small library area for use by children and adults. Built to resemble a tree house, the library will provide a cozy and fun place to read and browse through nature books and magazines.

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OPPORTUNITIES

Land Evolution Exhibits       $10,000

Land, like the people who live on it, has a history. At one time, Native American Indians inhabited the central region of Michigan, where they planted and harvested crops in the rich soil. Eventually, pioneers were attracted to settle in the region. As the land changed, so did the use of the land. Woldumar will create exhibits and develop appropriate curricula to show the prehistoric and historic evolution of its land. By identifying the original home site and documenting stories about the land, Woldumar will preserve this information for generations to come.

Heirloom Garden       $2,000

Heirloom gardens produce seeds that are like living antiques, passed down from one generation to the next. Many of the plants in heirloom gardens today were grown for generations by the ancestors of the earliest Americans. With a rich diversity of genetic material, heirloom gardens are evidence of wise stewardship and provide an important cultural link to our collective past. As part of its historic preservation priorities, Woldumar will plant an heirloom garden including vegetables, medicinal plants and herbs that have had a variety of uses throughout history. By preserving a range of edible and ornamental plants, these heirloom seeds will provide a sense of history and cultural heritage to WoldumarÕs visitors.

Archaeological Digs       $5,000

Artifacts, like stone tools, coins, and bones with cut marks, can provide information about human behavior in the past. Using archaeological science, we can learn about human cultures in history and how man interacted with the land. Woldumar Nature Center will add this exciting element to its historical preservation programs by dedicating a portion of the property to create an archaeological dig. As an educational tool, the archaeological site will teach skills in research, analytical thinking, math, history, geography, and science.

Expand Historic Village       $30,000

Young people today have little idea of what it was like to live years ago, other than what they are taught in school. The historic village at Woldumar provides opportunities that a textbook cannot. It can be used to demonstrate what daily life was like in early Michigan. To enhance this educational component of its programming, Woldumar has plans to expand the historic village with the addition of a Native American wigwam and pioneer outbuildings.

CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES

Protection & Restoration of Streams and Riverbanks       $10,000

A stream is more than simply rushing or meandering water. It is a complex and valuable ecosystem that includes land, plants, and animals. Sedimentation and excess nutrients are significant causes of degradation in streams. Sediment problems result from soil erosion from watersheds and stream banks. Woldumar Nature Center is taking steps to control erosion, stabilize its stream banks and reduce the sediment load in the Grand River by investing in trees, shrubs and herbs that will be planted appropriately.

Rain Gardens       $5,000

While rain gardens are lovely landscaping features, their purpose is to absorb and filter rain water. They can absorb hundreds of gallons of rain that would otherwise wash pollution down storm drains and into the nearest river, stream, or lake. Once established, they are low maintenance, requiring no fertilizer, watering, or mowing. Woldumar Nature Center will plant rain gardens near the parking lots and buildings to control and cleanse runoff. This project will not only be beautiful, but can be used to educate the public about the problems created by storm water runoff.

Invasive Species Eradication       $2,000

Invasive plants, whether they are native or non-native, have the ability to take over plant communities and displace native plants. The very characteristics which help these plants flourish Ð fast growth rates, high fruit production and rapid spread - make them difficult to control. Managing invasive plants is a critical issue since they lack natural predators and diseases which would control them in their native habitats. Woldumar Nature Center will begin the process of removing invasive species such as honeysuckle and buckthorn from the nature center. As a result, native flora will be restored and will ultimately attract native fauna to Woldumar.

5739 Old Lansing Rd - Lansing, MI • (517)322-0030 • www.woldumar.org

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