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Help Us Cross the Finish Line

 

The yurts are up - but we can't use them! Now it really takes a community to finish the job. Now comes the part where a small nonprofit gets creative.

 

We’ve already invested more than $500,000 in bringing the Pond to Pines Outdoor Learning Campus to life.

 

We’re doing everything we can to stretch every remaining dollar and get these yurts open for kids, schools, families, and community programs. That means we’re building some great partnerships along the way.

 

We’re working with Ellensburg High School again through the SkillsUSA program and Taylor Wilson, giving students real-world experience in construction and finish work while helping KEEN save thousands in labor costs. The students gain valuable skills. KEEN gets a huge helping hand. And our community gets another generation of young people learning how to build something that matters.

 

We’re also looking for:

 

Gravel companies: We need donated gravel for the emergency fire-access road, turnaround, pathways, and related site work. Even a partial donation or one load makes a difference.

 

Equipment operators: We’re reaching out to the Operating Engineers Union for help with grading, shaping, compacting, and site preparation. Do you know someone who works with the union? Know an equipment operator or contractor who might be willing to donate a day or lend a machine? We’d love an introduction.

 

This is what community investment looks like: students learning trades, businesses donating materials, skilled operators lending their time, and neighbors helping us turn a big dream into a real place for kids. Every dollar donated to this campaign helps us pay for the pieces we don't have funding for — and every connection you make could save us thousands more.

 

Know a gravel company? Know an operator? Know someone at the union? Please connect us. And, of course, every donation helps us get one step closer to opening the doors. Help us finish the Heart of Camp. Give today — or help us find the people who can help build it. https://gofund.me/180c63645 

More Than Just Camp

 

The yurts are year-round environmental education facilities that will support:

• Outdoor classrooms for school field trips

• Nature-based learning programs

• Teacher workshops

• Community events

• Volunteer stewardship projects

• Youth leadership experiences

• Family nature programs

• Occasional overnight camps that inspire confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of the outdoors

 

Every child deserves the opportunity to explore nature, discover new possibilities, and experience the wonder of the Yakima Canyon.

Imagine What's Possible

 

Imagine students investigating wetlands just steps from their classroom.

Imagine families gathering around a campfire beneath a sky full of stars.

Imagine volunteers restoring native habitat together.

Imagine a child spending their very first night outdoors—and discovering a lifelong connection to nature.

That's what we're building.

Help Finish the Outdoor Learning Campus

 

Your gift today will help complete the infrastructure needed to safely open the campus and welcome thousands of children, families, schools, and visitors in the years ahead.

If:

• 1,750 people gave $100, we could complete the remaining safety infrastructure.

• 350 people gave $500, we could close the funding gap.

• 70 people gave $2,500, we could finish the project and open the campus.

 

Every gift matters.

 

Every donor becomes part of this story.

 

Every contribution helps build the next generation of environmental stewards.

Be Part of the Legacy

 

For more than 26 years, KEEN has connected children & families with nature through hands-on learning

and habitat restoration.

Today, we're building something that will serve our community for decades to come.

Help us complete the Pond to Pines Outdoor Learning Campus.

Help us build the heart of camp.

Make your gift today and help open the doors to a lifetime of discovery.