AFTON, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired in May 2024.
For over 50 years, Afton's Belwin Conservancy has worked to connect city dwellers with nature. Now, through a new initiative, the organization hopes to continue making natural spaces even more accessible to Twin Cities residents — for many more decades to come.
The first capital campaign launched by the nonprofit since its beginning, Inspiring Through Nature, has already raised $7.8 million toward its $10.2 million goal. Belwin said the money raised will go toward improving its educational facilities, opening more land to the public and helping to protect and restore critical habitat in the Valley Creek Watershed.
“Belwin remains an oasis of wilderness remarkably close to the city, and we have a unique opportunity to bridge a growing gap in access to pristine natural spaces," said Belwin Executive Director Katie Bloome. "Simple investments will make it so more people can benefit from time in nature.”
The organization said the fundraiser's top focus is to facilitate the construction of a new, 5,000-square-foot educational space, the Peter J. King Family Foundation Wetlands Center. With the new facility, Belwin plans to expand its learning opportunities in partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools, potentially accommodating 5,000 more students per year, including kids at Stillwater Area Public Schools.
The conservancy added the center will also house its adaptive outdoor education programs for children with special needs.
"Saint Paul Public Schools students have had the privilege of visiting Belwin every year since 1971. For many, it is their first time experiencing the beauty and vastness of nature. We are thrilled that this space will become even more welcoming and inclusive for the next generation of SPPS students," said SPPS Interim Superintendent John Thein.
Belwin said additional campaign funds will be used to improve existing infrastructure, open a new hiking trail, protect and restore natural habitats along the watershed and make renovations at its Savanna Center, a program and artist-in-residence site amidst a 300-acre oak savanna.
“Conservation is most powerful when it’s combined with access and hands-on experience. Success means more kids with dirt under their fingernails and more people who understand what the tallgrass prairie feels like at sunset,” said Bloome. “And that translates to more curiosity about wild things, and more people who make nature a priority in their lives.”
For more information about the Belwin Conservancy and Inspiring Through Nature visit the organization's website.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: