Restoration Big Creek

Preserving Our Past
Protecting Our Future

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$1.7M GOAL

$1.1M Raised

Big Creek Outdoor Education Center Logo

This is not a choice of what would be nice to have; it's a choice between saving this camp from imminent deterioration or not. Without these key renovations, Big Creek risks slipping to a point of no return.

Restoration Big Creek is a $1.7 million project to preserve Big Creek's history and ensure its future.

With the National Forest Service unable to dedicate much immediate funding, the majority of the support must come from individuals and organizations. We're seeking those who love Big Creek and understand the value of getting kids outside, exploring and understanding the world around them.

Campaign Committee

Bob & Patt Jepsen
Connie Lane
Will Hammerquist
Keith Brown
Andy Stiles
Monica & Chris Graff
Jared Fraiser
Dee Aust
Tagen Vine

Our Campaign Will

Restore

  • Original hardwood floors
  • Structural soundness to all building foundations
  • Historic characteristics of the site

Remove

  • Aging and decaying asbestos floors
  • Temporary fixes done throughout the years

Install

  • New, energy efficient, doors and windows
  • Family style restrooms with ADA accessibility
  • Modern plumbing
  • Insulation

The Need

Restoration Big Creek presents an opportunity to invest in Big Creek, preserve its history, and secure its continued impact on thousands of children and individuals each year. Through this effort, we will renovate facilities, and increase safety, comfort, and efficiency while retaining Big Creek's rustic, historic nature.

We will ensure Big Creek's future, provide new educational experiences, and expand to year-round programming in an environment that reflects Glacier Institute’s commitment to quality. With generous support, we will restore Big Creek, honor its history, and secure its continued positive impact on the lives of generations of children to come.

True to Big Creek's history, we've spent years "making do" with piecemeal renovations and ad hoc repairs that now cost more time and money than provide long-term solutions. As we step into a new era for the Glacier Institute, fully embracing its role as the area's leader in outdoor education, it is hightime for an overhaul so that our Big Creek facilities reflect who we are and support what we do. Without this work, neither is possible.

The Glacier Institute is looking to reach a new level of professionalism, which is negatively impacted by our degrading facilities.

BIG CREEK OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER RESTORATION

Big Creek Outdoor Education Center is both the home and the heart of the Glacier Institute’s immersive, outdoor education programs for local kids offered through schools, overnight camps, and day-long classes. Each year over 1,500 kids - many of them 2nd generation Big Creek students - get an up-close, first-hand understanding of the natural world and their role in it. They form new, deeper connections to the land, to one another, and to the world around them.

Then (1983)

9 Classes | 84 Students

Now (2022+)

30+ Classes | 1500 Students

Please help us meet our goal with your tax deductible contribution.

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We are pleased to also offer the following naming opportunities:

Guest Cabin –  ($50,000)
Staff Cabin ($50,000)
Mess Hall Building ($100,000)
Library ($25,000)
Kitchen ($25,000)
Dining Area ($25,000)
Loft Area ($25,000)
Back Shop ($25,000)

To discuss large donations and naming opportunities, please contact:
Anthony Nelson
Executive Director, Glacier Institute
director@glacierinstitute.org
406.755.1211