On Monday, April 9th, Walking Mountains Science Center broke ground on the Borgen Precourt Center for Sustainability, named to honor two long-time local families who have supported Walking Mountains since its inception 20 years ago.
Located directly across Walking Mountains Lane on the non-profit’s Tang Campus in Avon, the new classroom and staff office building will help Walking Mountains meet the ever growing demand for its school and community programs focused on inspiring environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education.
Walking Mountains’ Sustainability Programs are a growing component of the organization’s activities. Recent sustainability accomplishments include the recognition by the international Global Sustainable Tourism Council of its business certification program, Actively Green; helping the Town of Vail pursue its Sustainable Destination status; and facilitating the county-wide Climate Action Collaborative.
"This is a pivotal day in Walking Mountains' history, and we are truly thrilled to embark on this expansion to address the growing needs in the community. We're grateful for the community support and particularly the extraordinary generosity of the Borgen and Precourt families to bring this dream to reality."
The Borgen Precourt Center for Sustainability is the next step in Walking Mountains Science Center’s strategic plan to strengthen its programming throughout the Eagle Valley. Future plans include employee housing and the development of its recently acquired 240-acre property along Sweetwater Creek in Gypsum. Employee housing will allow the organization to attract top quality educators. The Sweetwater campus will provide better access to down-valley residents and allow the organization to diversify the ecosystems students can explore.
Currently, demand for Walking Mountains’ programming exceeds capacity and hundreds of Eagle Valley students were waitlisted to attend Walking Mountains Science Center’s programs last year. Meeting this pent up demand will require more classroom and staff support space, and the Borgen Precourt Center for Sustainability will provide both.
Walking Mountains Science Center is able to expand due to strong partnerships and the wonderful generosity of its supporters. Construction on the Borgen Precourt Center for Sustainability has begun, however, opportunities to support the project remain available and are necessary. Please contact Patty White, Vice President of Development, at pattyw@walkingmountains.org or 970.688.4164 for donor and support opportunities.
This summer while building the Borgen Precourt Center for Sustainability there will be construction impacts at Walking Mountains’ Avon campus. All summer programming will run as scheduled and construction impacts will be communicated via Walking Mountains’ staff and at www.walkingmountains.org.
About Walking Mountains Science Center 501(c)3
Walking Mountains Science Center’s mission is to awaken a sense of wonder and inspire environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education. Visit www.walkingmountains.org or call 970.827.9725 for more information.
