New adventures wait to be discovered at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve and Nature Center.
The new nature playground, which officially opened Nov. 9, offers Auburn residents a new place to enjoy all that the outdoors has to offer.
At the new playground, children can enjoy an eagle nest, beavers lodge, mole tunnel and tree houses.
The idea for the playground came to Jennifer Lolley, the administrator of the preserve, while she was visiting Milwaukee two years ago.
"There are a lot of nature playgrounds in Europe and in the Northeast, but none in the Southeast that we know of," Lolley said.
Building materials are the difference between regular playgrounds and the nature playground.
The nature playground is made up of all-natural or made-from-recyclable materials. Lolley even had large boulders brought in for children to climb.
"Lolley came up with the beaver lodge idea," said Andrea Tidwell, senior in building science and AGC president. "We made up a design and tried to put it together, and it turned out greater than what we thought it would be. It took us one semester to finish it."
Lolley said the purpose for building the playground was simple--to get children and families to get out and enjoy nature.
"Kids today spend 1 percent of their day outdoors," Lolley said. "So it is becoming urgent to get them outside playing again and to attract them to the preserve."
The natural elements of the playground are what make it so intriguing to children.
"Climbing up the big rocks and jumping off is what I like most," said Grayson Blind, 8, of Auburn.
After a year of designing and recruiting help for the playground by Lolley and Jocelyn Zanzot, an Auburn landscape architect professor, the project broke ground.
A year ago, learning communities from the College of Agriculture began digging the sandpit.
The preserve is a community outreach program for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, so it gives Auburn students a chance to help the community while learning.
"We have had many laborers and volunteers help with the project," Lolley said. "I would guess about 500 volunteers over the whole project."
Alan Deal, senior in exercise science, helped build the tree house, fort and put up a fence around the playground.
"I needed volunteer hours for a class and enjoy the outdoors and figured it was right up my alley, so we went out there and helped out," Deal said. "I love working outside, and I enjoyed doing it--helping out the community."
The playground was funded by a grant from the Alabama Forests Forever Foundation, which receives most of its funds from Alabama car tags.
With the help of local businesses, contractors, students and volunteers, the playground has been deemed a success.
"We had several hundred people come out on Veterans Day," Lolley said.
The Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve is located on North College Street past the Auburn University fish ponds.
The preserve is home to 15 walking trails, a reptile viewing area, a native wildflower area and a turtle habitat.
The preserve hosts many seasonal events, such as fall nature walks and a holiday wreath workshop.
More information on the preserve can be found at www.auburn.edu/preserve.
"By building the playground, we are hoping to encourage people to get outdoors," Lolley said. "Then maybe from there they'll walk out and see the rest of the preserve."
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