Pine River Nature Center, community,

celebrate universally accessible treehouse

The St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency and the Pine River Nature Center celebrated the construction of the nature center's universally accessible treehouse with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Attendees walked to the site, near the center of the nature center property, to examine the nearly completed structure and hear brief remarks from Sarah Nelson, operations coordinator at the Pine River Nature Center, Dan DeGrow, RESA superintendent, Lynn Borg, vice president of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, and Todd Schurman, architect at French Associates.

The treehouse is accessible to people using wheelchairs and those with other mobility issues. The only one of its kind in Michigan, the treehouse is part of the countywide "Access to Recreation" program funded through the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the RESA and private donors.

DeGrow said the treehouse will allow the nature center to provide educational and recreational opportunities to a wide range of people. "The Pine River Nature Center is here so students and other community members can see some of the amazing things nature has to offer," he said. "This treehouse gives people with limited mobility the opportunity to experience nature in a way they haven't been able to before."

Schurman, who designed the treehouse, said it was an experience that "threw an interesting curveball" at him. "The challenge of the treehouse was the uniqueness of it all and the process of nursing it from an idea to something buildable," Schurman said.

Tom Ballard, supervisor of RESA's maintenance department, agreed that it was unlike anything he'd done before. Ballard, whose team was responsible for getting materials to the site, said the department went to some lengths to get the supplies needed for the unusual job. It ordered specially-made brackets, oversaw the hauling of seven truckloads of cement into the middle of the woods and found the cedar logs it needed in northern Michigan.

Borg said the treehouse will be a destination for the region. "It's going to expand beyond St. Clair County," she said. "People who don't live here will get a chance to come see what St. Clair County's all about."

RESA board vice president Robert Beattie visited the site and said the treehouse exceeded his expectations. He had been monitoring the construction on the RESA Web site, but seeing it in person was "much more exciting."

Although roofing and other finishing touches remain, the treehouse is open to the public. It will be used for classroom purposes in the spring. More information on the treehouse or the Pine River Nature Center, is available at (810) 364-5477.

The nature center is at 2585 Castor Road, adjacent to the Goodells County Park. It is owned and operated by the St. Clair County Regional Educational Services Agency (RESA). Directions to the nature center are available on the RESA Web site, www.sccresa.org.