The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Foundation reached an agreement last week with the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation to design and construct a state-of-the-art nature education center for Montana.

Under the agreement, the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation will match up to $2 million in funds raised for the design and construction of an education center to be built near Spring Meadow Lake State Park west of Helena. The new facility will be named the Siebel Nature Education Center.

The site currently houses Montana's state-run wildlife rehabilitation center where orphaned wildlife are cared for and then released back into the wild. The new nature education-center addition will provide natural resource teaching and learning opportunities for schools and community groups.

"This nature education center will provide a site for visitors to gain an appreciation for the history, wildlife, land, and people that make up the story of Montana's rich conservation heritage," said Spencer Hegstad, executive director of the FWP Foundation, a private nonprofit group that seeks to provide private support for efforts to preserve and enhance Montana's natural, cultural and recreational resources.

Plans call for the center to include exhibit and interpretive areas, a classroom, a theater, a conference room, a resource library, a living stream and pond, an outdoor amphitheater, a nature trail, office space, landscaping, parking, sidewalks, and group-use areas.

"The nature center will serve as a destination for more than 13,000 school students who annually visit Montana's Capital city," said Siobhan O'Connor, executive director of the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation. "It will be a place where teachers, youth groups, and conservation organizations can meet to build a community spirit and where families can gather to learn about Montana's incredible wildlife heritage."

Tax deductible donations for the Siebel Nature Education Center can be made to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation; P.O. Box 200701; Helena, MT 59620-0701. Or visit the FWP Foundation website at: foundation.fwp.state.mt.us.