Call to schedule an appointment. We are currently accepting applications for Volunteers & paid staff to help at the nature center as well as Nature Discovery play area helpers. If you are interested please email ruskranchnaturecenter(AT)gmail.com
What is happening at Rusk Ranch Nature Center? Our Update letter:
http://ruskranchnaturecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/update-2020-falld.pdf
Great things are happening! Rusk Ranch Nature Center (RRNC) received a grant from the Carpenter Foundation to open the Butterfly Pavilion, and grants from Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and the Fourway Foundation to help build parts of the Natural Playground. The center also was approved for a grant from Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), partnering with the Illinois Valley Watershed Council, to restore wetlands on the property. The Collins Foundation awarded a grant to the organization to help maintain operations during the transition period leading up to building the interactive Nature Discovery Center facility. An Americorps National Civilian Community Corps team spent eight weeks on the property working on basic brush clearing to prepare for a natural playground. These grants and awards have helped RRNC to offer nature based activities for kids and families, provide space for the local youth soccer club to build a field and help bring visitor revenue into the community. The organization is deeply grateful to these foundations and agencies for their support of the valley community! In 2011 Rusk Ranch Nature Center opened the Butterfly Pavilion, offering hands on activities for kids in the nurturing, emergence, and release of native butterflies. The all-volunteer Center brought revenue into the community, become a source of civic pride and engaged families in enriching nature based experiences. By connecting with visitors, revenue was channeled into the services of the organization and community. RRNC is developing the interactive Oregon Nature & Environmental Discovery Center (O.N.E. Discovery). When it is complete, the Discovery Center will enhance the valley and offer hands-on nature based opportunities for kids, families and visitors. Through a series of focus groups with leaders, residents, teachers and stakeholders in the community, the RRNC board identified a need for families and children to have safe environments for outdoor activities. With funding for school programs at an all time low there is a strong need for enrichment opportunities for children. The importance of the healing and character building effects of positive outdoor experiences for both children and adults cannot be over emphasized. The Rusk Ranch Nature Center aligns with the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Plan category of “Encouraging Youth Outdoor Recreation Participation”. There has been wide spread support from local schools, agencies and organizations for creating the Nature Center and its services to help meet these needs. Participation by local schools from the valley and the region confirms that teachers feel these nature-based hands-on experiences are very important to their students. More than ever our kids need safe outdoor activities. Oregon’s “No Child Left Indoors” initiative documents that these activities provide opportunities for learning science, communication skills, self-esteem and real world interactions. Helping children and families remember their interconnection to nature is key to solving problems for our future. The Natural Playground at the center fosters imaginative play and addresses children’s need for discovery and contact with nature.
