WELLSELEY ISLAND — The Minna Anthony Common Nature Center will have a new outdoor terrace thanks to a “substantial donation” to a group supporting its operations.
The Friends of the Nature Center received the donation from Kathryn Elliott, and the new terrace will be dedicated to her late husband, C. Michael “Mike” Elliott. The C. Michael Elliott Terrace will be on the northern side of the Nature Center, and provide views of Eel Bay to visitors at the center.
“Mike loved the River, and was committed to helping others appreciate the natural world,” Mrs. Elliott said, in a provided statement. “The outdoor terrace is a fitting space to promote a love of nature while honoring Mike’s passion for life on the River.”
Mr. Elliott, a graduate of Clarkson University, later served as president of the Clarkson Alumni Association, as well as president of its Central New York Chapter. He also volunteered for the Campaign for Clarkson, helping the University to raise $115 million. In 2003, he received the Golden Knight Award, Clarkson’s highest alumni honor, for his outstanding service to the university.
He also served as a board member for the Friends of the Nature Center, like his father, Charles J. “Chuck” Elliott.
The nature center is undergoing a complete structural renovation which is scheduled to be complete by this fall.
Once the renovations are complete, Hadley Exhibits of Buffalo will install all interior features and exhibits.
“We are extremely grateful for Mrs. Elliott’s generous donation in memory of her late husband and fellow Friends’ board member C. Michael Elliott,” said Kerry Roberge, Friends of the Nature Center board president, in a statement. “This gift will support the ongoing transformation of the Nature Center, and we will see the benefit of her generosity for years to come.”
The Friends of the Nature Center has received several large pieces of financial support for the renovations in recent weeks.
Among those is $100,000 in state funding to help develop new exhibits, and a $200,000 donation from Allan P. Newell toward a Wetland Discovery Room that will be dedicated to Mr. Newell’s mother, Jean S. Newell.
The center is one of the largest nature centers in the state park system and in New York state, according to state parks officials, including eight miles of hiking trails and seven miles of cross-country ski trails.