After more than a decade of envisioning and planning, NCLC’s new conservation center at Circle Creek Habitat Reserve is nearing completion, with a finish date slated for this fall.
“Circle Creek continues to be this place where amazing volunteers, with incredible expertise and incredible commitment to realizing vision, make it happen,” NCLC Executive Director Katie Voelke says. “I couldn’t have imagined that this is really what it would be, but it’s very exciting, and when I walk around in the space, it’s like, of course this is what should happen next out here.”
NCLC broke ground on the new conservation center late last summer, after removing the old barn at the property that was previously used for events and community gatherings. NCLC is working with Cove Built Construction on the project; Vito Cerelli, of O’Brien Design+Build, served as the architect.
‘A Catalyst’ for the Project to Progress
The origin of the conservation center can be traced back 20 years to the original purchase of the habitat reserve. An arson fire in 2012 destroyed the farmhouse that was serving as the office building on the reserve. But the vision has stayed alive.
Ever since then, it has been a goal for NCLC to return its headquarters to Circle Creek, with a plan the welcomes the community as well.
As with many great ideas, it has taken time—all of which Katie believes was necessary to achieve the ideal design coupled with the right people to bring it to fruition. Additionally, the organization’s conservation and stewardship goals continually demand top priority, which means having adequate financial investments and staff capacity also was key.
“We did need all that time, as it turns out, to really envision what could be great for the land and the people out there,” she explains. “Because when we landed on this specific design and timeframe and budget, it was just like, ‘yes!’”
Two important occurrences finally enabled the project to move forward significantly a couple of years ago. First, the Circle Creek Conservation Center and Trails Committee evolved into a Building Committee that homed in its focus on the construction project. Secondly, Jason Stegner, the founder of Cove Built, volunteered for the committee, providing much-needed technical expertise.
Being able to be a part of NCLC’s mission has really been fulfilling for me.
Jason Stegner, Founder of Cove Built Construction
“He was able to answer a lot of questions we wouldn’t have known to ask,” says Randall Henderson, chair of the committee. “That was the catalyst at that point to get things rolling.”
Eventually, NCLC hired Jason and Cove Built to complete the project. It was a natural fit, not only because of Jason’s prior knowledge and volunteer involvement with the project, but also because of a mission alignment between the two organizations.
“Jason donated a lot of his time upfront, which was instrumental in getting us to the point where we felt comfortable moving forward,” says Associate Director Jon Wickersham, the staff lead on the project.
From Jason’s perspective, he loves “building things for community-supported missions.” Their objective at Cove Built is constructing buildings that enable organizations to be better and more productive, giving them “a home they can live in for the next hundred years.”
He has worked closely with the Building Committee in a process that’s been “super collaborative,” Jon says.
Prioritizing Green Building and Sustainability
Together, the group has moved forward on a single-story structure that honors the old barn and the landscape itself. They’ve also utilized natural materials and best practices for conservation and sustainability throughout the process. Those include:
- Prioritizing the use of local subcontractors and supplies
- Selecting plywood floors instead of a synthetic option
- Incorporating low-emissivity products and materials
- Choosing energy efficient fixtures and features
- Contributing wood waste to Lands’ End
The building also will incorporate a solar panel system, thanks to contributions from the Mintkeski family, John Beaston, and Susan Hayden, as well as $34,000 in federal incentives and funding from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
According to Randall, the solar will be “net-metered.” That means excess power generated during exceptionally sunny periods then gets fed back into the grid and credited to NCLC, to use at times when the incoming solar generation can’t keep up with demand. If NCLC generates more than they use over a 12-month period, those credits are donated to a utility assistance fund for low-income Oregonians.
Finally, throughout the project, NCLC has worked with the Energy Trust on an energy efficient design, receiving $2,500 as an early design-assistance incentive.
Bringing Together Community and Conservation
Carolina Lysse, the assistant manager from Cove Built who came onto the project last summer, says she loves “how well the building fits into the landscape” at Circle Creek. She’s helped steer a majority of the finishing decisions for the space.
“It has a really personal feel,” she says about the process. “There is a lot more heart on this project.”
Jason agreed, adding, “Being able to be a part of NCLC’s mission has really been fulfilling for me.”
One thing everyone is particularly excited about is how the center will blend NCLC’s goals for community outreach and conservation. It includes offices for NCLC staff and volunteers and shared work areas, in addition to multifunctional meeting rooms and community event and gathering space, including a covered patio, and trailhead access.
The community space will be available for not only NCLC’s own programming, but use by other community organizations as well.
“Every time I stand out on the patio, I picture a whole classroom of second-graders sitting out there on their field trip before they head out on the trails. I picture our celebratory picnics, and other people getting to use it, and it feels really inspiring to imagine all that good that is yet to come out here,” Katie says.
NCLC is very excited to work daily at Circle Creek again, but even more so, we are delighted by the possibility of other community groups having access to the space and nature. It feels really powerful.
Katie Voelke, Executive Director
She feels NCLC, as a nonprofit, has a responsibility to support others in this way—particularly other nonprofit organizations and community-centered groups.
“Nonprofits are inherently frugal, putting all money into programming and services. Many board members and volunteers put up with some really uninspiring conditions for their meetings, where they make critical decisions to advance their causes, because it’s free,” she says. “But these people, causes, and organizations are holding our community together and deserve to have some inspiring places to do their work. NCLC is very excited to work daily at Circle Creek again, but even more so, we are delighted by the possibility of other community groups having access to the space and nature. It feels really powerful.”
The building project comes with a price tag of approximately $1.2 million. Currently, thanks to NCLC’s insurance proceeds from the fire; donations that poured in after the incident; growth on investments; and generous donors—such as the Green family, the Graff family, and many others—the organization has secured a majority of the cost for the project. They are still fundraising for the final $209,000.
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