Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge would like to announce that construction of a new 4,000 square-foot outdoor education classroom facility will be starting soon. Construction is slated to begin in mid-September with a scheduled completion date of Oct. 31, 2015.
This facility will allow the refuge to better meet the National Wildlife Refuge System mission by providing expanded environmental education and interpretation opportunities. Sherburne Refuge has offered wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities like these for many years, as well as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, and wildlife photography. Much thanks to the long-running support of the Friends of Sherburne, this new resource will be the hub of an ever-growing education program.
This facility will consist of two classrooms, indoor and outdoor accessible restrooms, and a Friends of Sherburne gift store. The building will be used for numerous educational programs throughout the year, regardless of the weather. One of the educational activities will be “EE Days” where several area schools bring 600 students annually to the Refuge as part of their science curriculum.
The building will also be used for numerous Refuge events throughout the year and for special training opportunities for teachers and environmental groups.
Currently, Sherburne Refuge has more than 80,000 visitors a year and anticipates that this new facility will only increase visitation to the area. In return, this higher visitation will help stimulate the economy of all the surrounding communities.
The timing of this facility could not be better, as Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015. The building has also been designed so that a large visitor center addition could be added in the future, if funding should allow.
The facility will be located on the south side of Co. Rd 9 just southwest of the Sherburne Refuge headquarters. Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge is a 31,000-acre refuge located in Sherburne County and is one of more than 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
