Nature at the Confluence

What Nature at the Confluence does

Nature at the Confluence is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit nature center founded in 2017 and headquartered at 306 Dickop Street in South Beloit, Illinois. The organization stewards an approximately 80-acre campus situated at the confluence of the Rock River, Turtle Creek, and Kelly Creek, featuring a 5-acre prairie restoration, trails, learning gardens, pollinator gardens, and a Learning Center building open Tuesday through Sunday. Its mission centers on connecting people with nature through environmental education, conservation, and community programming targeted at families, children, adult learners, conservation volunteers, and school groups across the South Beloit region.

The organization's core offerings fall into four programmatic pillars: structured educational series (Little Scientists for ages 4-6, monthly Bird Club, Herbalism workshops, Prairie Monitoring / Monarch Larvae Monitoring), community events (Community Fire & Drum Circle, Conservation Conversations with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, Readers By The Rivers book club with South Beloit Public Library, Native American history presentations), volunteer stewardship programs (weekly Wednesday Work Days, Eco Volunteer Days with Peregrines of Rock River Valley), and recreational add-ons (paddling on Rock River and Turtle Creek, facility rentals, adventure backpacks, field trips). The Learning Center and trails are open dawn to dusk, with satellite programming delivered at Hononegah Forest Preserve and Nygren Wetland Preserve.

Funding is assembled from five streams: one-time and recurring monthly donations via a tiered Friend/Contributor/Advocate donor wall ($200-$1,000+), a recurring AmeriCorps service-member grant administered by Serve Illinois, low-ticket program fees ($5 Bird Club, $10 Little Scientists and Native American presentations, $15-$25 sliding-scale Herbalism), event-based fundraising led by the $10 Duck Race on Turtle Creek, and facility rental of the Learning Center and grounds. The technology stack is non-applicable; the org is operationally a place-based education and conservation nonprofit rather than a technology product company, and AI/ML capabilities are not part of the offering.

Name

Nature at the Confluence

Legal name

Nature At The Confluence, Inc.

Website

https://natureattheconfluence.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nature at the Confluence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nature center operating an 80-acre campus at the confluence of the Rock River, Turtle Creek, and Kelly Creek in South Beloit, Illinois, delivering environmental education, volunteer conservation, and community events funded by donations, grants, and program fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education & Nature Center Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ), Citizen Science & Conservation Volunteer Tourism Programs (On-Site) (THAAAFAH), Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Nature center programs
• Community conservation
• Prairie restoration
• Volunteer stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

South Beloit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Revenue comes from one-time and recurring monthly donations. Donors at $200+ receive engraved turtle plaques on the Confluence Donor Wall. Donor tiers: Friend ($200-$500), Contributor (Over $500), Advocate (Over $1000).
2. Event Fundraising: Annual duck race fundraiser where rubber ducks are sold for $10 each. Proceeds support free and low-cost educational programs. Additional event-based fundraising through community events.
3. Program Fees: Fees collected for various programs including Bird Club ($5), Little Scientists ($10/child), Herbalism Series ($15-$25 sliding scale), Native American presentations ($10). Many programs offered free or at low cost.
4. Facility Rental: Facility rental services available for events and gatherings at the nature center campus.
5. Grant Funding: AmeriCorps grant from Serve Illinois supports service positions and team capacity. Part of California Volunteer Fund Climate Corps Expansion program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nature At The Confluence operates an 80-acre nonprofit nature center at the confluence of the Rock River, Turtle Creek, and Kelly Creek in South Beloit, Illinois, delivering year-round environmental education programs, community events, and volunteer-led conservation activities for all ages. Core offerings include children's nature series (Little Scientists, Little Science Storytime), citizen science programs (Prairie Monitoring, Bird Club), cultural and craft workshops (Herbalism Series, Wildlife Drawing), recurring community gatherings (Community Fire & Drum Circle, Readers By The Rivers, Conservation Conversation Series), and volunteer stewardship days (Wednesday Work Day). The organization also rents its Learning Center facility and runs field trips, paddling programs, and adventure backpacks for visitors.

Product overview

Nature at the Confluence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nature center offering a unified set of environmental education programs and community events centered around its 80-acre campus at the confluence of the Rock River, Turtle Creek, and Kelly Creek. The core offerings include structured educational series (Little Scientists, Prairie Monitoring, Bird Club, Herbalism Series), community events (Community Fire & Drum Circle, Conservation Conversations, Readers By The Rivers book club), volunteer programs (Wednesday Work Day), and recreational activities (paddling, facility rentals, field trips). Programs are offered year-round with both free and low-cost options to serve the local community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Little Scientists Series Nature-based science program for children ages 4-6 featuring hands-on activities, nature walks, story time, and crafts, priced at $10 per child.
• Prairie Monitoring Citizen science program where participants monitor monarch butterfly populations, identify plant species, and document prairie wildlife as part of the Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project.
• Bird Club Beginner-friendly monthly birding series meeting at Nature At The Confluence and partner sites (Hononegah Forest Preserve, Nygren Wetland Preserve) with binoculars provided, priced at $5 per session.
• Herbalism Series Monthly workshop series on herbalism practices including skin care, fire cider, medicinal syrups, and herbal gift crafting, offered on a sliding scale of $15-$25 per person.
• Community Fire & Drum Circle Monthly community gathering with drumming, fire, and seasonal activities including solstice celebrations and the annual duck race fundraiser, offered free to participants.
• Wednesday Work Day Weekly volunteer program for prairie, woodland, and garden maintenance including planting, weeding, and trail trimming at the campus and partner sites.
• Readers By The Rivers Quarterly book discussion group co-hosted with the South Beloit Public Library focusing on nature and environmental literature, offered free to participants.
• Conservation Conversation Series Monthly community-led conservation discussions hosted in partnership with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, focused on land restoration and care.
• Native American Presentation Series Educational presentation with Ho-Chunk elder Gerald Savage (Ho-Chunk Ska Ga) on the history of Native Americans in Illinois, priced at $10 per attendee.
• Wildlife Drawing with Pete Weekly step-by-step wildlife drawing series teaching native species identification for ages 6 through adult.
• Little Science Storytime Summer story time program with the South Beloit Public Library featuring nature vocabulary and American Sign Language for young children.
• Field Trips Educational field trip programs designed for school groups and youth organizations at the 80-acre nature center campus.
• Facility Rental Rental of the Learning Center building and grounds for private events, gatherings, and community functions.
• Paddling at The Confluence Recreational paddling programs offered on the Rock River and Turtle Creek from the nature center campus.
• Adventure Backpacks Self-guided exploration kits provided to visitors to enhance trail and nature experiences at the campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 unique plant species documented during summer 2026 prairie monitoring
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wild Roots Nature Center (formerly Severson Dells Nature Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor years, Severson Dells (now Wild Roots) managed the AmeriCorps grant from Serve Illinois supporting members at The Confluence and other local conservation organizations. This partnership connects Nature At The Confluence with the nationwide AmeriCorps program and California Volunteer Fund Climate Corps Expansion.
• Friends of Illinois Nature PreservescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts monthly Conservation Conversation series in partnership with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. Series focuses on community-led conservation conversations about land restoration and care.
• South Beloit Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-facilitates Readers By The Rivers quarterly book discussion group for those interested in nature and environmental topics. Library provides book copies for participants.
• Forest Preserves of Winnebago CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBird Club partners with Forest Preserves of Winnebago County for monthly sessions. October Bird Club meeting held at Hononegah Forest Preserve.
• Natural Land InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBird Club partners with Natural Land Institute for monthly sessions. August Bird Club meeting held at Nygren Wetland Preserve with Natural Land Institute.
• Peregrines of Rock River ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEco Volunteer Day + Conversation hosted by Peregrines of Rock River Valley, a group committed to healing the landscape and promoting biodiversity. Includes outdoor brush removal and conservation conversation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Morton Arboretum: A large-scale arboretum and outdoor education institution in the Chicago region. Comparable in combining tree/plant collections, trails, and environmental education programming, though operating at substantially larger scale with broader geographic reach.
• Lincoln Park Zoo: Free-admission urban zoo with extensive environmental education, conservation, and community programs. Comparable as a nonprofit that combines visitor-facing nature experiences, citizen-science-adjacent programming, and donor-supported conservation mission, though focused on zoological rather than river-confluence habitats.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: One of the largest botanical gardens in the U.S., offering extensive environmental education, citizen science, and community programming. Comparable as a nonprofit nature-based visitor institution with learning gardens, trails, and fee-based classes, though at a fundamentally larger operational scale.

Emerging players

• Nygren Wetland Preserve: A 721-acre wetland preserve managed by Natural Land Institute in Rockton, IL, hosting Bird Club sessions. Comparable as a publicly accessible natural area with trails, wildlife observation, and educational programming in the same watershed.
• Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves: Statewide nonprofit partner that co-hosts the Conservation Conversation series at Nature at the Confluence. Comparable as an Illinois-based conservation advocacy and education organization focused on land stewardship and community engagement around nature preserves.

Direct peers

• Wild Roots Nature Center: Formerly Severson Dells Nature Center, this is a nearby northern Illinois nature center that has historically administered the same AmeriCorps grant serving Nature at the Confluence. Comparable 501(c)(3) nature center with environmental education, trails, and volunteer-led conservation programming serving a similar regional audience.
• Natural Land Institute: Regional land trust based in Rockford, IL, that partners with Nature at the Confluence on the Bird Club at Nygren Wetland Preserve. Comparable as a conservation nonprofit preserving and providing public access to natural lands in northern Illinois with education and stewardship programs.
• Angelic Organics Learning Center: Illinois-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering hands-on environmental and agricultural education programs, including on-site and partner-hosted workshops. Comparable in mission, structure, and reliance on donations, grants, and program fees to deliver community-based nature education.

Regional players

• Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden: A 155-acre botanic garden and arboretum located in Rockford, IL, in the same Stateline region as Nature at the Confluence. Comparable as a regional nature-based visitor attraction with educational programming, gardens, trails, and community events, though it operates at a larger scale and with a plant-collection rather than river-confluence focus.
• Forest Preserves of Winnebago County: Government-managed forest preserve district in the same county, hosting Bird Club sessions at Hononegah Forest Preserve. Comparable as a regional provider of free outdoor recreation, trails, and environmental education in northern Illinois, though funded through public-sector mechanisms rather than donations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZOSX9ki2UOFqJUNb4x2POQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/natureattheconfluence
• Instagraminstagram.com/natureattheconfluence
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nature-at-the-confluence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nature at the Confluence