About
Cayuga Nature Center
The
Cayuga Nature Center is a non-profit organization located on 120
acres of land overlooking Cayuga Lake on Route 89 in Ithaca, New
York. On the property you will find a historic lodge that features
a full kitchen and dining area, conference rooms, a Pee Wee room
with environmental exhibits for young children, and an exhibit
hall called the Great Room with two fireplaces and a spacious
sun porch. We house live reptiles, mammals and birds in both our
indoor and outdoor enclosures. The lodge serves as CNC's primary
year round program site and facility for summer and school break
camps, group rentals, and several educational programs including
TEAM Challenge, our ropes course which promotes team-building
among members of any kind of group (co-workers, classmates, family,
Greek brothers/sisters, sports teams, girl/boy scouts, community
or church members, etc.) Outside the lodge CNC maintains miles
of hiking trails, open 365 days a year for walking, birding and
nature interpretation. These trails take visitors through a deciduous
climax forest, along gorges and streams, and close to habitats
of a variety of native plants and wildlife. You will also find
our impressive six-story tree house, TreeTops, as well as a seasonal
Butterfly House, gardens, and much more. In addition to public
programs and camps, local schools and researchers from Cornell
University and Ithaca College regularly utilize CNC's properties.
In
the past twenty-five years, CNC program participants have increased
three-fold, and today we welcome approximately 25,000 visitors
to our property each year. Over the years, CNC has increasingly
offered off-site programs that share our message not only through
new media resources including the internet, but also give instruction
to teachers and students alike on how to learn usuing their own
environs.
The
Nature Center is a well-loved community resource, and has successfully
collaborated with many organizations over the years to secure
funds for special projects related to environmental education.
Our
Mission:
The
Cayuga Nature Center is a community resource that cultivates awareness,
appreciation and responsibility for the natural world through
outdoor and environmental education.
How
we do what we do:
-
We serve as a community resource for environmental education in
the Finger Lakes Region.
- We provide participants with an opportunity to gain awareness
and knowledge in a wide variety of subject areas through the provision
of informal science education and hands-on learning experiences.
- We provide small group-learning opportunities to succeed and
excel in a relaxed atmosphere.
Who
we serve:
- People of all ages and incomes
- Individuals with emotional, physical and cognitive disabilities
- Families
- Participants that may seek to develop professional skills or
lifelong pursuits
What
makes us special:
Quality:
We provide high quality experiences and programs for our visitors.
Volunteers: We provide a constructive, supportive
environment that facilitates volunteer participation.
Staff: We attract and retain talented and dedicated
staff.
Infrastructure: We continue to be a steward for
our land and facilities.
Financial stability: We are a non-profit organization
who operates in a sound financial manner using generally accepted
accounting principles; we seek financial support from grants,
donations, memberships, camps, and educational programming.
Community: We solicit input and feedback from
our stakeholders so that our programs reflect the needs and interests
of our community.
Collaborations: We work with other local community
and regional organizations.
History:
Cayuga
Nature Center was originally the Cayuga Preventorium. When Tuberculosis
(TB) was rampant in the country, it was believed that the disease
could be prevented if children exposed to TB could be placed in
camps with plenty of good fresh air. In 1914, the Preventorium
was located on the east side of the lake at Esty's Point, housing
youngsters during the summer months.
By the 1930's, TB was no longer as big a threat, and the Preventorium
was used to sponsor a series of cardiac clinics. Mr. and Mrs.
Ernest T. Paine gave 75 acres of land on the west side of the
lake to be used to serve children recuperating from cardiac and
other debilitating diseases, and the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) completed the building project in 1939. With the onset of
World War II, however, the camp was forced to close. In 1950,
Cornell University leased the building for student housing. In
later years, the building was used as a camp for children of working
mothers, but remained closed for about 45 weeks of the year.
In
the 1960's, many more camps began to open and the need for one
at the Preventorium dwindled. The Board of Directors then decided
to offer the facility as a conference center available year round.
Conferences and small day camps covered the day to day expenses,
but the building was not used to its full potential. A new direction
was introduced at a workshop in Brewster, sponsored by the State
Education Department, concerning Board of Cooperative Extension
Services (BOCES) outdoor education programs. As a result of this
conference, a program was established for providing outdoor education
with BOCES using the Preventorium as a base for promoting outdoor
and environmental studies.
Due
to the success of this program, BOCES, the Ithaca schools, and
Onondaga Nature Centers, Inc., decided to work together, and the
Preventorium opened in 1975 as a Nature Center.
In
the 1980's our facility changed its name to the Cayuga Nature
Center, offering environmental education to local school districts
and the rental of its facilities for groups. In 1981, the Cayuga
Nature Center was incorporated as an independent, private, non-profit
educational organization. Today over 25,000 individuals participate
in the Center's programs and activities annually.
