Our opinion: Motorized wheelchairs will open up nature

Published 5:27 pm Tuesday, October 19, 2021

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Later this year, the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center will be adding an exciting new opportunity for those with mobility challenges.

With support from the Austin Eagles, Mayo Clinic, Freeborn Mower Coop Operation Round-up, the Friends of the Hormel Nature Center and private donations, the Nature Center will come into ownership of tracked wheelchairs that will allow those with mobility limitations to get out and enjoy nature in all four seasons.

With its extensive network of trails, the Nature Center is a jewel in the area, but at the same time, many of the trails are unpaved and make it difficult for those in regular wheelchairs to enjoy the same parts of nature many have come to love at the Nature Center.

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These new wheelchairs are a new doorway to the outdoors for many, who before may have only been able to see select parts of the Nature Center.

We would like to commend all of those who came together to make this opportunity possible and prove once again that the Nature Center has something for everyone.