A several thousand dollar addition to Monona’s Aldo Leopold Nature Center, featuring new exhibits and interative attractions, is scheduled to open Saturday. 

The 11,000 square foot facility will include new, high-tech interactive exhibits for children and adult visitors to the nature center, center spokesperson Kelley Van Egeren said.

New exhibits that have been added on to the nature center include exhibits showcasing projections of planets, effects of global warming, renewable energy alternatives, climate and storm simulations and the Nina Leopold Bradley Phenology Center, where visitors can learn more about the Leopold family.

“What we do is provide environmental education for all ages,” Van Egeren said. “Our hope is that [visitors] will understand the complexities of the interconnectedness of all things so they become environmentally friendly and make positive decisions for the environment.”

The facility is the second large-scale development the center has undertaken since it opened in 1994. The first new indoor facility was added in 1997, Van Egeren said.

The new facility contains what Van Egeren called “hands-on, minds-on” digital instruments to provide another way to reach kids through environmental education.

“You could say it’s a high-tech, high-touch type of approach,” she said. “The high-touch is the outside element we’re known for. The high-tech is there so we’ll have a new way of reaching our visitors.”

University of Wisconsin professor and climatology expert Steve Ackerman said the additions to the nature center also include new theater space, which will allow for more guest speakers.

“I think it’s going to provide an opportunity for additional activities other than outdoor activities for families to come and learn about the environment,” Ackerman said.

Ackerman said he expects to see an increase in the number of visitors to the nature center as a result of the additions. He said this gives children the option to do different activities in each of the facilities offered.

“What we’re trying to really do is foster admiration and respect for nature by encouraging sustainability and stewardship for land and provide opportunities for how we engage,” Van Egeren said.

The nature center currently also offers family programs, summer camps, school field trips, special events, scout programs and after-school programs for economically disadvantaged students, she said.

Van Egeren said there are currently about 40,000 annual visitors to the nature center, but they hope the additional exhibits will help increase the number to 65,000.

She said initially the exhibits will be open every third weekend of each month but hopefully will increase to every weekend with increased visitation.

“The whole idea is to teach visitors how to create a sustainable future,” Van Egeren said. “We’re focusing on the environment, renewable energy and sustainability.”

Van Egeren said the project was funded through community and private donations. She thanked several supporters of the project, including Madison Community Foundation, Weather Central, Department of Public Instruction and the Nelson Institute.