WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER
Inspiring a lifelong connection to nature and community through creative exploration of the outdoors.
About WILD BEAR NATURE CENTER
Wild Bear Nature Center is a Colorado 501(c)(3) environmental education nonprofit that operates a free, hands-on nature center and year-round programs specializing in mountain ecology and outdoor learning for people of all ages.
Since its founding in the mid-1990s, Wild Bear has combined on-site exhibits and programming with stewardship of nearby Mud Lake preserve to deliver camps, after-school programs, group field experiences, and community workshops.
Over the last 2–3 years the organization has been executing a major capital campaign to build an 8,500 sq.ft. net-zero nature center at Mud Lake (construction and renewable-energy installations underway) while continuing programs and recovery efforts after the October 2025 fire that affected their interim facility.
Notable achievements
New Net‑Zero Nature Center Construction
Major capital campaign and build-out of an 8,500 sq.ft. net‑zero nature center at Mud Lake: construction milestones in 2023–2025 include excavation, steel framing, installation of passive‑solar windows and a 50 kW solar array; facility will expand classrooms, exhibits, and accessibility.
Mud Lake Restoration & Land Protection
Longstanding stewardship role in restoring and protecting Mud Lake and adjacent open space—turning a degraded wetland into a healthy habitat and securing acreage for the new nature center and public access.
Accessible, Licensed Childcare & Scholarship Programs
Operate licensed childcare-style programming with a commitment to affordability and inclusion; a substantial portion of children’s participation is supported through sliding‑scale scholarships and Colorado child care contribution incentives.
At a glance
- Total assets
- $7.7M
- Annual revenue
- $3.4M
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3)Public charity
- EIN
- 84-1352764
- Location
- Nederland, CO
- Website
- wildbear.org
- On Mahalo since
- November 2025
Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.
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