Lost River Cave donation paves way for nature center
Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Lost River Cave officials announced Tuesday an anonymous donor gifted $1 million to support the park’s future construction of a Nature Discovery Center.
The proposed center will house hands-on exhibits meant to give children, families and the general public the opportunity to explore the natural world around them.
Lost River Cave CEO and Executive Director Rho Lansden said the new center will provide more classroom space for visiting schools.
The extra space will allow the park to host nearly 600 students per day compared to the 200 they now serve daily.
The donation is the largest Lost River Cave has ever received.
“For 30 years, Lost River Cave’s board, staff and volunteers have given their all to the conservation of the cave and the land that surrounds it,” Lansden said. “The park’s transformation has created an incredible resource for our community. Today, we are excited to recognize a significant gift and publicly announce the next chapter in Lost River Cave’s history.
“This is an incredible investment in our community and will allow Lost River Cave to have a tremendous impact on our community’s quality of life and provide access to nature education,” she said. “This amazing, generous gift and the support from other donors has helped us raise $1.5 million toward the capital campaign’s overall goal of $4.2 million. So we are on the way.”
Lansden said there is no timetable for when construction will begin on the new discovery center.
She said phase one of the project is projected to cost about $3 million, so Lost River Cave is halfway toward breaking ground.
“It’s going to depend on future gifts and how all of that comes together,” Lansden said of the center’s completion.
“Nothing like this exists anywhere in southcentral Kentucky. We are very excited about the future,” she said.
The center is currently planned to be built at the end of Lost River Cave’s current parking lot across from the park’s Treetop Bridge. Lost River Cave features an underground boat tour, butterfly habitat, zip lines, hiking trials and other amenities.
Loraine Lacey, Warren County Public Schools’ district behavioral coach and Lost River Cave board member, said the new building will provide more students in the area with more opportunities.
“In 2019, Lost River Cave provided 60 schools from 36 districts opportunities in resources and educational programs. That’s over 5,000 students,” Lacey said. “The museum-type quality exhibits will be the focus point and the draw to have students, teachers and parents come and experience this new nature discovery center.”
This past year, the nonprofit park saw more than 200,000 people.
That’s a number Lost River Cave board secretary Jack Wright said showcases how much the park is already serving the community.
“I’ve seen it transform since I have been here,” Wright said of the park’s growth. “It’s just neat to see a group of people take a project and make it their own. This is something we can be very proud of in our community.”
Valerie Brown, the park’s board vice president, spoke to the importance the new center will have on area youths.
“This nature discovery center will benefit our community economically, but it will connect our children to nature and their role in conserving it,” Brown said. “When people learn to value nature, they are inspired to protect it for others. Let’s hope that happens (here).”
– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.