By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Fund-raising in support of a kids-oriented attraction at Northwest Trek is in the works with a goal of $1,000 for each of the 40 years the wildlife park has been open. The Northwest Trek Foundation, a non-profit group of community members and volunteers, plans to formally launch its campaign on May 30 in hope of raising $40,000 in 40 days in honor of Trek's 40th birthday. Contributions will be applied to the development of Kids Trek, a half-acre addition for the park. Plans for the hands-on, nature-themed play area got a boost last year when voters in Tacoma's Metropolitan Parks District approved a $191 million bond measure for various park projects, including Kids Trek, which will receive $3 million in bond funds. Northwest Trek, located near Eatonville, is part of the Metropolitan Parks system. Climbing walls and nets, bridges, tunnels, a recirculating stream with mini-waterfalls, a beaver lodge and pool, and other activities and play spaces GÇô including one for toddlers that will have a sand box and water feature GÇô are among the attractions planned for Kids Trek. It's envisioned as a "place to get kids out in the open, to put down their electronic devices and explore and learn," said Chip Heinz, the project manager. Representatives of Northwest Trek Foundation outlined the fund-raising campaign last Thursday at a meeting of Eatonville Chamber of Commerce members. Detalls will be announced, but methods of fund-raising that have been proposed include individual or business donations, raffles, and soliciting the help of clubs and organizations. The Foundation promotes conservation, education and recreation through the native wildlife in natural habitats at Northwest Trek, which opened July 17, 1975 and has attracted more than 6 million visitors since then. A three-day public celebration this summer of the park's start is being planned by Trek officials for July 17-19. More than half of Northwest Trek's 735 acres is a free-range home to bison, elk, woodland caribou, moose, deer, bears, Canada lynx and bobcats, wolves, foxes and coyotes.
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