The imaginative Wild Walk we reported on last year makes huge strides as it receives $250,000 from the North County Regional Economic Development Council (NCREDC).
Read more about the project here: “The Wild Center has plans to build a multi-million dollar ‘Wild Walk’ so that visitors to this 31-acre site in Tupper Lake can “walk up into the Adirondack treetops.”
Not only was The Wild Center a winner of part of New York State’s economic development funding, but The North County itself was awarded $81.3 million and named as one of the Top Performers the third year in a row.
Part of The North County’s plan to improve the economy and bring the region together is The Wild Center’s Wild Walk project, an 850-foot tree-top walk, that received $1 million from this same group last year. The funds are going to transforming the forest that surrounds the Center into a living breathing learning experience.
The planned structure is expected to cost $4.5 million, with The Wild Center having already invested $500,000 in the project, which will include a network of bridges, raised platforms, tree houses, and other sometimes fanciful elements like the iron teepee railing structure below.
“It is an amazing achievement and incredible testament to the community leaders on the North Country Regional Economic Development Council that the region’s plan was chosen for a third year as a Top Performer,” said Wild Center Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe.
The Wild Walk, which will open in July 2015, is an outdoor experience that is garnering attention from all over the state.
“When completed, the Wild Walk will offer an unparalleled experience that will help draw new visitors to the area,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo about the project last fall.
Fun Things To Expect From Wild Walk:
- Float on a special spiders web 24-feet above the ground
- Spiral up inside a tree to see how mushrooms shoot microscopic harpoons through the decaying wood
- Visit a treehouse to explore spacious platforms connected by a fun web of bridges and raised walkways that twist and turn through the forest.
- Read stories and interact along the Walk and freeze moments in the forest to see them in intimate detail.
- Climb into a bald eagle’s nest
- Periscope down to see an thriving ant colony
Northland Associates are the General Contractor and Phoenix Welding and Fabricating are sub-contractors working on the welding and fabricating.
