MAKANDA, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale will host a public groundbreaking ceremony for the Wildlife Habitat Education Center at the Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29.
The event will feature remarks from SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations and SIU Foundation CEO Matt Kupec, Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center Director Brian Croft, and lead donor Chuck Trover. Guests are invited to enjoy light refreshments and learn more about the vision for this transformative facility.
“Touch of Nature has long been a jewel of Southern Illinois, and this new facility will make it even more accessible. Thanks to Chuck’s vision, SIU is poised to expand opportunities for environmental learning across the region,” Kupec said.
Funded by a $3 million gift from Trover, a 1967 SIU graduate who grew up in rural Illinois and now resides in Oregon, the Wildlife Habitat Education Center will serve as a hub for environmental education, hands-on learning, and community engagement. The facility will include a visitor check-in area, meeting space, and indoor activity rooms, ensuring programs can continue year-round regardless of the weather.
For Trover, the center is a deeply personal project and will be dedicated to his mentors, Bob Alexander and his uncle, Jim Trover, who first opened his eyes to the natural world.
“My love for the outdoors came from these two incredible men, who taught me to hunt, fish, and appreciate wildlife,” he said. “Without them, I probably wouldn’t be doing this for SIU today. This center will give future generations the chance to build that same connection.”
Trover will join university leaders at the groundbreaking to share his vision for inspiring young people and reversing what he calls a growing “nature-deficit disorder,” a term coined by author Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. Trover cited Louv’s work as an influence on his commitment to addressing the disconnect between children and the natural world.
“If we don’t expose them to nature, they won’t have a reason to care for it,” Trover said. “We need to make it exciting and fun so they want to come back.”
“Few universities in the nation have a resource like Touch of Nature. This generous gift to build the Wildlife Habitat Education Center will allow us to expand our programs and more fully live out our mission of enhancing lives through outdoor experiences and environmental learning,” Croft said.
Located about eight miles south of Carbondale, Touch of Nature serves SIU students, the greater Southern Illinois region, and visitors from across the country through programs that promote experiential learning, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and inclusion.
The Wildlife Habitat Education Center also reflects SIU’s rare distinction as one of only 21 universities in the nation recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for both Research 1 (Very High Research Activity) and as an Opportunity College and University, underscoring the university’s commitment to advancing knowledge while expanding opportunity for all.
Trover’s gift to establish the Wildlife Habitat Education Center is part of the ongoing Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign, which has secured more than $422 million toward its $500 million goal. The campaign is the fifth largest in the history of Illinois higher education. In the most recent fiscal year, the SIU Foundation awarded more than $5.6 million in scholarships to 2,111 students, representing 17 percent of the student body.
For more information about the groundbreaking, contact the SIU Foundation at 618-453-4900.