Nell Larson is executive director of Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter. She said the exhibit is the most interactive one the center has ever done.
“It's probably more of an experience than an exhibit but it's a nine-hole mini golf or putt putt course that is now inside the EcoCenter," she said. "If you're familiar with this space, it runs through the exhibit hall and the theater and the front room. And you get to explore a variety of environmental topics as you move through each hole.”
Larson said topics range from tropical rainforests to bats using sonar to move through urban environments.
“One of my favorites is about the butterfly lifecycle," she said. "You're putting up the green to a huge butterfly where your hole is and you'll learn about, you know, how it moves through its different life forms from the egg to the caterpillar to the pupa to the butterfly. And similarly, each hole has a new lesson. And a lot of these actually focus on how humans interact with wildlife.”
Larson encouraged everyone to participate.
“We do have scorecards, you can keep score if you and your group are feeling competitive," she said. "We have, you know, little putters, little clubs for all sizes from the little toddlers up to adults. And so it's up to you, I think, how you handicap and manage that scoring.”
FORE! The Planet runs through April.
The Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter has new hours:
Monday: closed.
Tuesday: closed.
Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibit is $7 per person. Children two and under are free.
