Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space officials are working on a new nature exploration area for residents to learn, play and connect – and community members can give input on the project later this month.

The area will consist of elements and textures found in nature, including tree logs, boulders, plants, stumps and climbing elements, and will be built at Morrison Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road.

The space provides a “needed resource” for community members to learn about Aurora’s ecosystems, enjoy the outdoors, connect with nature and practice “healthy and playful lifestyles,” according to the city’s website. 

Staff at the Morrison Nature Center originally developed the idea several years ago, wanting to building an outdoor play area different than a typical playground or park, according to landscape architect and the project’s manager Trent Woolley. 

Children and adults visiting the area would have space to learn, play and develop a relationship with nature in a safe and controlled environment, Woolley said. 

“Education is definitely a big component with our naturalists, so that was one of our visions,” Woolley said. “And getting people out into open spaces, getting them to understand how we, as humans, interact with nature and how we can impact it both negatively and positively.”

Sara Van Holbeck, Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces’ community engagement coordinator, said another important design element in the project is physical engagement. 

While the area will include education elements, like classes in the area’s possible outdoor classroom, it will also be a play space for people of all ages to “engage with nature hands-on.”

“People will be able to climb or learn in five-senses ways,” Van Holbeck said. “Not just listening or seeing, but also feeling and smelling and just enjoying nature and learning about it while fully immersed.”

The design team also hopes to extend the excitement of the nature center beyond the center itself and into the “hundreds of acres of park space” in Aurora, Woolley said. 

“We have some great natural areas and we want people to come out and enjoy them and experience them,” Woolley said. “And we also want to keep in mind the teaching component, showing people how we can experience nature in a way that we’re not going to damage it.”

For many people who may not have easy access to the mountains or other outdoor spaces, the outdoor exploration area will be a sanctuary to learn, escape the bustle of the large and growing city and connect with nature, Van Holbeck said. 

It will also focus on inclusivity, with education and fun for both children and adults and a space for people with physical barriers to experience nature in a safe way. 

Inclusivity will include pathways for people using mobility devices and experiences that alert all of the five senses. 

“One of the big areas we’re planning is an insect garden with varieties of plants that would attract pollinators and butterflies,” Van Holbeck said. “We want to have fragrances so people can smell flowers that pollinate at different times of year and we want to have some textural plants that you can touch.”

The concept for the nature exploration area has blossomed throughout several community meetings and community outreach efforts, Woolley said. 

Throughout the rest of the process, Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space wants continued community input and will host a drop-in open house from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 30 for community members to attend, learn more about the project, talk to staff and give input on the new area. 

All ages are welcome and light refreshments will be provided. 

Overall, the new space will cost about $1 million – which is coming from grants and in-kind contributions from Environmental Learning for Kids, Bluff Lake Nature Center and Sand Creek Regional Greenway.

The project is expected to go into construction in the summer of 2024 and be complete by the end of the year or the beginning of 2025. 

“We’re excited to add this as an asset to our community and be able to offer even more opportunities for our residents to explore nature and connect with each other,” Van Holbeck said.