The City of Auburn Community Classroom is an expansive 973-square-foot multi-purpose room featuring a kitchenette, state-of-the-art technology such as a monitor, whiteboards and a lectern with capacity for table seating up to 50 and theatre-style seating for up to 75.
It was only last winter that the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, an outreach facility of Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE), celebrated the dedication and ribbon cutting of its new Environmental Education Building located on North College Street in Auburn, Alabama.
Yet the building, which had become a dire need for the KPNC’s growing programs and visitors, has already had a profound impact on the university and the Auburn community.
Joining Kreher Preserve and Nature Center (KPNC) donors, friends and staff at the building’s dedication, Auburn University leadership and City of Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, extolled the KPNC’s value to the city.
“Since it first opened to the public as the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, the KPNC has provided our community with much-needed parkland on the north side of Auburn,” said Mayor Anders. “More recently, the KPNC has not only provided our citizens with free and open access to nature, but it has also served as an invaluable educational resource for our schools and teachers, who supplement their science curricula with field experiences offered by the KPNC.”
The Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment and Kreher Preserve and Nature Center celebrated the opening of its new Environmental Education Building in December 2024. Shown at the lectern is City of Auburn Mayor Ron Anders providing remarks at the dedication and ribbon cutting, along with other Auburn and CFWE leadership.
Providing access to nature and education
At the heart of its mission, the center promotes a sense of stewardship towards nature through quality environmental education, recreation and outreach programs with Auburn University and its community partners.
Throughout its evolution from a passive-use forest preserve to the fully staffed nature center it has become today, the KPNC has diligently pursued its purpose, offering free entry for visitors and educational programs throughout the year.
Open every day from dawn to dusk, over 40,000 annual visitors enjoy more than six miles of marked walking and running trails, the area’s first and largest nature playground, a stream with pond and waterfalls, the wildflower, sensory and butterfly gardens and improved facilities including pavilions, restrooms, drinking fountains and benches throughout the property.
The KPNC’s diverse spectrum of educational programming serves area schools, churches, clubs, college students, families and adults with an array of activities such as field trips, workshops, special events, classes, guided hikes, camps and much more.
However, lacking a covered, temperature-controlled building, the KPNC’s programs are impacted by Alabama’s warm climate and often inclement weather.
Building a new chapter
Thanks in large part to gifts from the City of Auburn and several other generous philanthropists, the new Environmental Education Building became a reality in 2024, allowing the KPNC to significantly expand its program offerings.
Constructed using the mass timber engineered product, cross-laminated timber (CLT), the building is a showcase of innovative engineering, architecture and construction, promoting Alabama’s robust and vigorous natural resources and timber industries.
Featuring two large classrooms, a discovery corridor that houses live animal exhibits, bathrooms and office space, the building design includes exposed natural wood throughout with floor-to-ceiling windows that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces.
“Juxtaposed with the natural wood veneers, the modern amenities of the building integrate within the classrooms to ensure a comfortable, yet functional and versatile environment for teaching and other gatherings,” said Michael Buckman, the KPNC’s manager.
With the new sheltering space of the building’s dedicated preschool classroom, the KPNC has advanced the educational footprint of its Woodland Wonders Nature Preschool as an Alabama First-Class Pre-K, the first of its kind in the state.
It has also ushered in a new chapter as the area’s most unique special event venue.
Named in honor of the City of Auburn, the Environmental Education Building includes an expansive 973-square-foot multi-purpose classroom that serves as an important resource for the community.
Children, such as the students of Auburn’s Wildwood Forest School, benefit from the community classroom as a dynamic space to connect with nature through learning.
Jana Poirier, leader of Auburn’s Wildwood Forest School, says the building’s unique indoor/outdoor design is the ideal setting for the homeschool collaborative’s diverse classes, which include music, pottery, fine art, engineering, woodworking and nature studies.
Using the City of Auburn Community Classroom as the school’s central teaching space, the children can work on projects inside, while others take their activities to the decks, courtyard, or the forest just behind the building.
“The setup fosters self-directed education, enabling multiple projects to unfold simultaneously in various environments, all while keeping the kids within earshot,” said Poirier. “The physical space has been perfectly suited for our Wildwood kids, supporting creativity, exploration and a deep connection to nature.”
An invaluable community resource
Since its opening, the City of Auburn Community Classroom has been heavily utilized by area civic groups, scouts, garden clubs and other organizations who gather there to enjoy the light-filled, dynamic space for meetings and other special events.
Having struggled to find a venue that would meet their needs, Assistant Director of Auburn Outdoors, Keli Berkman, felt the classroom checked all the boxes for their student employee training courses.
“We needed a space that had classroom capabilities like tables, chairs, Wi-Fi and whiteboards, but also had access to space that created a feeling of being outdoors so that students were able to practice wilderness first aid in a pseudo wilderness context,” said Berkman.
Auburn Outdoors has found the City of Auburn Community Classroom ideal for hosting its Wilderness and Remote First Aid training courses.
Upon discovering the KPNC classroom, the group has since hosted two Wilderness and Remote First Aid training courses, certified nine Auburn Outdoors Trip Leaders and eight CFWE students and staff members.
“We are so thankful for our partnership with the KPNC,” said Berkman. “I’m hopeful that we can continue to work together to provide this opportunity to Auburn University students, and, looking forward, to the Auburn community.”
A vital partnership
The City of Auburn has long been a vital partner of Auburn University and the KPNC.
Each year, the city appropriates funding that supports staff and programs, markets those programs through the city’s communications and co-hosts signature events such as S’more Fun, the HoHoHo Hike & Holiday Celebration and many others.
Representing KPNC’s ward within the City Council, Beth Witten has been an important advocate for the city’s extensive partnership and support of the nature center and feels the programming that will be housed in the education building will be paramount for all citizens of Auburn.
“The KPNC is a gem located in the heart of the north side of Auburn,” said Witten. “Its offerings that connect people with nature and learning through a hands-on approach is vital in a digital-centric world. I am proud that KPNC resides in Ward Three and is available to the whole community.”
During the past decade, the KPNC has become an important asset to the community, with visitation numbers growing exponentially.
“The City of Auburn’s continued support and most recent gift have been instrumental in enabling the KPNC to fulfill its mission,” said Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the CFWE. “We are honored they have chosen to invest in the important work of the KPNC in service to Auburn’s citizens.”
The KPNC welcomes groups and private individuals to rent the City of Auburn Classroom as a special event or meeting venue. Room availability is subject to program schedules and reservations are recommended two weeks in advance. For more information, contact the KPNC manager at kpncmanager@auburn.edu.
(Written by Jamie Anderson)
