The Nature Place at Myrick Park celebrates a switch to solar energy

Solar power has come to a popular building at La Crosse’s Myrick Park.

The Nature Place has cut the ribbon on its solar energy project, approved earlier this year by the city. Rebeeca Schwarz, the director of the Nature Place, is happy to see the solar equipment in place, and providing energy.

“We’ve been planning and dreaming about having this solar array on this building since long before even I got here,” says Schwarz, who has been at the Nature Place about a year. She says the actual installation of solar panels is “super exciting.”

Over 100 solar panels were installed on the roof of the Nature Place. Using those panels is expected to save the facility about $12,000 a year in energy costs.

At the Myrick event, musicians played songs such as “You Are My Sunshine” and “Sunny.” Mary Freybler with the Central Conservation group told the outdoor audience “you all in some capacity as a friend of the organization or a donor have made so much possible for all of our visitors.”

Rebecca Schwarz with the Nature Place says community support for the solar project has been ‘overwhelming.’