The Preserving A Legacy land acquisition fund-raiser now exceeds $250,000 in pledges and donations.

The amount is enough to allow the Friends of the Nature Center fund-drive sponsoring organization to exercise an option to acquire a 62-acre parcel of land.

It leaves the fund-drive only $30,000 short of the next immediate goal and that is to begin the actual restoration work on the 62 acres after it is deeded to the Friends organization.

The latest $50,000 contribution was confirmed last Thursday, when a Hormel Foods Corporation representative contacted David Cole and John Beckel, co-chairs of the campaign.

"We're extremely pleased the Hormel Foods Corporation would consider this to be a worthy project," Cole said. "We appreciate the contribution very much."

The fund drive was launched in early February. Ten months later, the Preserving A Legacy project is $250,000 closer to reality.

The total is ahead of the anticipated pace for the fund drive, according to three spokesmen.

"We exceeded the $200,000 mark a week ago," Cole said.

"We're ahead of where we expected to be at this time when the fund-drive was launched," Beckel said.

Larry Dolphin, director and naturalist at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, also was elated.

"The Hormel Foods Corporation donation is just great," Dolphin said. "It also points out how diverse this fund-raiser has been. We've gotten a few large contributions, but most of the contributions have been lesser amounts. We appreciate all of them. They're all going to help."

The Preserving A Legacy fund-raiser is attempting to raise $750,000 to acquire 210 acres adjoining the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center at the east edge of Austin in the diamond jubilee year of the original owner's vision.

The original 123 acres of the Hormel Nature Center were expanded twice before. In 1978, 55 acres were added. In 1984, another 101 acres were added.

The Friends of the Nature Center decided the Nature Center's connection to the land must be strengthened again and embarked on the Preserving A Legacy fund-raiser to expand the opportunities provided by the Nature Center for environmental education.

In addition, wildlife habitat would be expanded at a time when developments encroach upon nature.

Also, the expansion will allow the restoration of the native prairie with tree plantings, grasses and wildflowers.

More hiking trails will be added to take visitors into the new oak savanna and up close to natural resources.

Now, the Friends of the Nature Center land acquisition committee is $250,000 richer and everyone is closer to the goal of protecting the legacy of one man.

The list of those who helped is lengthy and far-ranging. (See advertisement at bottom right).

There are environmental groups, such as Pheasants Forever, Austin Audubon Society and Izaak Walton League; service clubs, such as both Noon Kiwanis and Early Risers Kiwanis and fraternal benefits societies, such as AAL Branch No. 255, Lutheran Brotherhood Cedar River Branch No. 8198, and Knights of Columbus Austin Council 1201.

The list also includes employees and volunteers of the Austin School District and Riverland Community College.

Somewhere on the list is one person who wrote a check for $2.

"I'm really not surprised at all that we reached this point so quickly, considering the strong leadership we have had from the Friends of the Nature Center group," Dolphin said.

Sometime early in 2003, the organization will begin the legal work to exercise its option to acquire the 62 acres from owner Marvin Gaard. The acres adjoin the western boundary of the nature Center north of the pond loop trail.

"When that is done, we can begin our restoration plan this summer," Dolphin said.

That will involve using information from the Mower County Geologic Atlas on soil survey to ensure the plantings to come later will grow.

"Essentially, what we will be doing is reclaiming farmland for prairie," Cole said.

Also in 2003, the Friends group will reapply for a $200,000 grant from the Minnesota Legislature. However, the state's huge debt already casts a cloud of doubt upon that and other funding applications like it.

Meanwhile, the Friends group will continue to explore all avenues of funding in the private sector.

Just like Jay C. Hormel's own vision for an arboretum, Dolphin, Beckel and Cole have their own vision.

"Like all other great visions, we feel this is another great vision," Cole said.

"That's right," Dolphin said. "The vision the Friends of the Nature Center has is to protect the land and that the value of that land is that it is used."

"When you stop to think about it, what a unique opportunity this is to restore the land to the way it was hundreds of years ago on the Minnesota prairie," Dolphin said.

"What we hope is that, like Jay Hormel's own vision to create something for future generations to use and enjoy, we, too, will be able to leave something behind that future generations who go on after we are gone will call their own and also enjoy and respect," Cole said.

For more information about the Preserving A Legacy land acquisition project, call Dolphin at the nature Center

at 437-7519.

Lee Bonorden can be reached at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com