Belwin's Inspiring Through Nature campaign – our first in fifty years – will make the wild spaces here more accessible to everyone in our community.

If we are successful, there will be more kids with dirt under their fingernails. More people breathing in clean air. And more people who feel inspired to make conservation a part of their lives.

As of November 2025, we have raised $10 million toward our $10.2 million goal.

Inspiring Through Nature is making Belwin healthier and more accessible through investment in the following projects:

Peter J. King Family Foundation Wetlands Center

This new educational facility will grow the reach of Belwin’s educational programs and create a better space for children with special needs.

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Conservation

Through this campaign, Belwin has already protected an additional 135 acres critical to the health of Valley Creek, and is accelerating restoration on over 100 acres of prairie, forest, and oak savanna.

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Savanna Center

Located on 250 acres of restored oak savanna and wetlands, improvements to this mid-century complex will create more space for programs and partnerships.

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Improved Entrances

Across Belwin’s eight public and program sites, newly designed entrances will make Belwin’s entire campus more cohesive, inclusive, and welcoming.

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Expanded Public Trails

With early campaign funds, Belwin opened Oxbow Trails, a new 40-acre public hiking area a half mile north of downtown Afton.

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Paved Public Trails

Belwin will pave a portion of Tallgrass Trails so visitors of all abilities can experience nature.

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For over half a century, Belwin Conservancy has intertwined conservation, science education, and public access. Those commitments remain.

But our community is growing and changing, and we know Belwin can – and should – be more. Because conservation is most powerful when it is combined with access and hands-on experience. Let's make Belwin available to more people, and let's make it last.

To read our full case statement, and learn more about the vision and values behind Inspiring Through Nature, click the link below.

Read Our Full Case Statement

We deeply appreciate the many individuals who are supporting Inspiring Through Nature. All contributions will be celebrated in a full donor list at the campaign's conclusion.

Major Institutional Support Provided By

belwin.org

Credits:

Featuring original artwork by Kelsey King; images by Community Blueprint, Jacob Kinneman, Urban Ecosystems, and May Vang; video by Community Blueprint