Calusa Nature Center adds some zip with climbing tower

The Calusa Nature Center is adding on to its list of activities and community involvement opportunities with a ROPES course called On-TRAC this fall.

On-TRAC, which stands for On The Ropes At Calusa, will challenge local groups to climb a rock wall, stand on beams and fly down a zip line 45 feet in the air.

"It's an opportunity for team building outside of the classroom or office," said Jo Ellen Keller, the director of the course. "The idea is to get people back out in nature."

And getting them back in nature is why the Calusa Nature Center was selected as an ideal location for the course that offers high and low activities.

"The nature center is located on 105-acres in Fort Myers and it's a good location to get visitors from all over the area," said Keller, who is working with local businesses to gain sponsorships for different pieces of the course. "It's in a wilderness setting and it brings people into the center which is a hidden gem."

Keller hopes the center will become a destination for everyone looking to spend the day climbing a tower or zipping past nature on a harness tied to a line.

"We are doing this with a conscious effort to include the entire community," Keller said.

The involvement will be crucial especially now that Keller needs to raise $75,000 by August 20. This money will secure builders that will begin construction in September.

"It takes 15 days to build and it's a pretty intensive schedule," said Keller noting that if the money isn't raised by August the project will get pushed back to October. "We are competing to get our course done first but we need the community to help us."

The help will be beneficial because it will guarantee that the course include 23 varying activities, be designed for handicapped participants and be environmentally friendly.

"We will have special rigging and other types of things built in to make it safe for everyone to use," Keller said. "This is an investment in the community and it's something I've wanted to bring here for a long time."