NEDERLAND - 25 years after voter approval of Wild Bear Nature Center at Mud Lake, the organization’s founder, Jill Dreves, is watching her dreams come to fruition.

The new building’s construction is barrelling toward the finish line, even with the CEO stepping down. Dreves is hoping the center will be complete within a year. 

“We're over three-fourths of the way there,” Development Director Matthew Celesta divulged about the new center. “We're really excited to move from our current nature center up to our new facility.”

In April 2025, Wild Bear released an email announcement stating that Nathan Smallwood would be stepping down as CEO. Rather than allowing the bump to slow them down, the education center is embracing the change as a “positive transitional time,” Dreves said.

“Nathan did a great job and served us really well,” Dreves said. “We're still working on finding the leader who will be moving us into that building and developing our programs.”

Making a net-positive impact

Wild Bear’s new nature center will go above and beyond having a net-zero impact on the environment. The building will return unused solar energy to the power grid, resulting in a net-positive impact. It will be the highest-elevation net-positive center that is open 365 days a year. 

“So we're tied into the grid. We're tied into Xcel. Basically, we have an electric building,” Dreves said. “The energy that we don't consume at this point will go back to the grid.”

The team is in the process of raising enough funds to purchase and secure the building's eco-friendly energy systems. Part of this involves 50 kWh of solar panels on the roof and passive solar bird glass. 

Bird glass is made to prevent bird collisions. Solar glass efficiently harnesses the sun’s energy by maximizing natural light and minimizing heat loss. When the two unite, solar bird glass is formed. Dave Sutherland from Environment for the Americas, a migratory bird awareness group, displayed bird glass at Wild Bear’s 2025 Earth Day event on April 19. 

Sutherland’s display showed pieces of tape on a window. He explained that when birds see the dots, they will know not to fly into them. But special tape isn’t the only option. Sutherland suggested the cheaper alternative of hanging up some parachute cords to prevent collisions. 

“I’ve known Jill Dreves since—what? The Jurassic period?” Sutherland joked. “We're all kind of like members of a big team because we're working toward the same basic goal. We all want birds and insects to be happy and we want people to recycle.”

Added benefits

Space and location are among the numerous benefits of the new center. Because of its location in the forest area by Mud Lake, nature will be Wild Bear’s backyard. 

“It will be great to be properly based out of nature and able to access trails right from our site,” Education Director Frankie Beard said. “I think it'll be a great opportunity to get more schools to us and serve a wider community.”

The current nature center is based in a shopping center in downtown Nederland. While the space has served them well, Wild Bear is still surrounded by concrete. 

“This new location will help open us up to the whole county, the whole state, and ultimately beyond. We truly believe we'll be more of an epicenter for travelers through the area,” Celesta said. 

At the center’s Earth Day event, Wild Bear visitors and employees shared their excitement about the upcoming development. Among them were representatives of Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Town of Nederland. They all were enthusiastic about and supportive of the upcoming development. 

Wild Bear is almost 30. What’s in the decades to come? 

On September 13, 2025, Wild Bear Nature Center will celebrate its 30th birthday. The center has come a long way from being a small group of kids exploring the mountains. They now serve thousands of visitors each year and expect an increase upon moving to the new location. 

“There will be a lot of opportunities for the community to come together and not only learn about bears and mountain lions, but also about climate change,” Dreves said. 

Dreves’s vision for the future involves the intertwining of art and nature. The new center will include exhibits and educational programs. She also expects area residents to work with researchers to learn about natural processes and help with data gathering. 

Dreves noted that Wild Bear has been in its downtown location since 2010. The space has been good to them over the years. She plans to move fully into the new center upon its completion, meaning their downtown lease will eventually come to an end. 

Wild Bear Nature Center is raising funds for the next phase of the soon-to-be-completed building. For more information about making a donation, or about building tours, contact Jill Dreves at jill@wildbear.org or visit www.gowild.wildbear.org.