Hartley Nature Center is $1 Million Closer to a Major Expansion

Hartley Nature Center needs $2.5 million to start its expansion project.

DULUTH, Minn.- Harltey Nature Center is one step and a million dollars closer to its biggest expansion project in almost 20 years.

Thanks to a grant from the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trail Commission, Hartley is now at $1.8 million of their $2.5 million goal to add on to their nature center building.

The expansion would include more classrooms, restrooms and activity areas, all related to teaching kids more about the outdoors.

“Hartley was founded by people from the community who felt it was important for Duluth to have a nature center to help teach kids about the natural world. We’ve always been a community supported endeavor and all the work that we do to help kids connect with nature is more important now than ever,” Harley Nature Center executive director Tom O’Rourke said.

This is Hartley’s second grant from the state park commission.

The total donation will also include $200 thousand dedicated to building an accessible trail from the center to the Woodland Avenue bus stop.

“Getting kids outdoors, everybody sees the value of that in the city of duluth, and i think the mission the nature center has is very valuable and i think that’s why they continue to support us,” city of Duluth senior parks planner Jim Shoberg said.

The Hartley Nature Center expansion is expected to break ground in Spring of 2021.