NABC exhibitsThis past summer, we heard rave reviews about the Northwoods Ecology Hall that Lily Fans helped make possible. It is beautiful and educational. Standing in the spacious new Hall and seeing the smiles and interest of children and parents makes me feel gratitude to all who made it what it is. It is kid-friendly. It appeals to the senses. The sounds of nature along with videos showing what makes the sounds often gets special mention. The concepts came from questions and suggestions we heard from teachers, parents, Lily Fans, and others over the years.
Northwoods Ecology Hall on opening dayEven as we continue to add exhibits to the Ecology Hall, we are doing what we can to bring the old Bear Center portion up to the new kid-friendly standards of the Ecology Hall. A major change in the Bear Center will be to put the exhibits at a more kid-friendly level. This will mean eliminating the tall, claustrophobic carpeted panels and putting the exhibits on beautiful birch-wood platforms. Only five feet tall, the platforms will have slanted walls to hold the exhibits and narrow flat tops to hold video screens and artifacts. Instead of feeling hemmed in by carpeted walls, visitors will be able to see across the Bear Center. They will be able to see signs hanging from the ceiling identifying exhibit locations, and they will also be able to see a whole new set of bear pictures, many of them bears Lily Fans know, spot-lighted on the upper walls—plus new information in the captions.
https://www.givemn.org/organization/bearsThe goal, as always, is more education—now in a more kid-friendly way. The above is part of the face-lift we are reaching out to Lily Fans to make possible on Give to the Max Day, November 12.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. The facelift we are hoping to do will make a big difference for the effectiveness and future of the Bear Center.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center