WAUPUN — Marsh Haven Nature Center unveiled design plans for a new educational playground facility at their Waupun location last Sunday.
An announcement post to Facebook about the new “Nature’s Playground” included several concept images from similar projects at other nature centers, as well as a map layout of the plans.
The purpose for the project is helping students learn environmental education through play, and help connect people to nature in “new and exciting ways”, according to the flyer in the announcement post.
“We are really excited to announce that we will be building a natural play playground,” said Matt Rupnik, director at Marsh Haven. “It’s really a fun project for me to work on, as well as our organization. It will be an all-natural playground to get kids back outdoors, get them involved with nature, connecting them with nature in new and exciting ways. We’re hoping the public will enjoy it as well as it’ll help kind of make March Haven more of a destination.”
The playground will be intended for all ages, featuring several physical play structures—including climbing structures, a boulder tunnel, logs and planks, and nest swing—as well as sensory objects and water pump and channel. The structures will be built in the picnic area between an existing pavilion and deck a bit behind the main building.
The announcement post outlined the plans for the project by separating it into three phases:
Phase 1: laying the groundwork with excavation, grading, drainage, and foundations.
Phase 2: major physical play elements including boulder scramble climbing structure, boulder tunnel, nest swing, and fort building station.
Phase 3: water play feature including cement water channel as well as mud kitchen, beaver lodge, canoe, and native sensory elements.
The project would be funded mostly through grants and community donations, and should they meet their fundraising goals the project should be complete within the next five years. The total estimated cost is about $250,000, which includes design and bidding.
“It was important for us to be very community focused—with not only sponsorships, but the ideas that went into it,” Rupnik said. “We had a workshop back in April to get a lot of ideas, and all those ideas are put right into the playground to design a space for them and for the community.”
Marsh Haven has displayed some of the plans at event booths earlier this year, including the Alto Fair and Horicon Bank 130th Anniversary event.
Those interested in supporting the initiative can make donations through the Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation, which is affiliated with the Fond du Lac Area Foundation. Online donations can be placed through their website here: https://fdlareafoundation.com/donate/. Checks may also be dropped off or mailed to Marsh Haven Nature Center. Designate all donations for the playground as the “Nature’s Playground” project.
The Marsh Haven Nature Center is located at W10145 Highway 49, just east of Waupun.
To view the concept images, visit the Marsh Haven Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MarshHavenNatureCenter/posts/pfbid0xaKzwGb5dBiJZ5DJCqNGuHWxQVS8q2eddJ2WLJhpt2CSvP3sYPU8QcQBT2qrJkWbl
