OUR VISION: Help people find their place in nature

UPDATES:

Friday, March 29, 2024: The City of Thornton will begin installing infrastructure near 136th and Newport Street in preparation for the Anythink Nature LIbrary. Construction will begin in the next several weeks and is expected to last through August 2024. 

Monday, March 25, 2024: Residents may see activity on site the week of April 1. Cultural specialists will be doing some digging, and biological consultants will be out doing a bird survey. Please check back for future update.

As a public library, Anythink provides access to knowledge in a free, safe and trusted space available to all. As an experience library, Anythink is even more uniquely qualified to build a nature library – using spaces, experts, TryIts and other resources to help people find their place in nature.

Inspired by the Environmental Kinship Guide, the library’s design is grounded in the understanding that “everything in the natural world is interrelated and that humans are a part of this as cohabiters.” (Learn more about the Environmental Kinship Guide at environmentalkinship.org.) Anythink also convened the Anythink Nature Library Advisory Council, which included Indigenous and Native American leaders from the Denver metro area, who provided expertise on the building’s design.

FEATURES OF THE NEW LIBRARY

• Programming spaces to reinforce nature learning, including an indoor/outdoor nature lab, a sunroom and a dark room for both active and more meditative programs, and outdoor spaces that support Anythink’s vision to help people find their place in nature.
• Exterior gardens that will provide both passive and hands-on learning opportunities.
• Open air “kinship garden” within the library for people to connect with art and nature.
• One-mile loop trail on library property.
• Materials that facilitate nature learning and reflection, including TryIts specifically selected for outdoor learning and adventure.
• Café with indoor/outdoor service and seating.
• Trailhead that connects the library with the 140-acre Aylor trail systems.

SUPPORTING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

The 2022 Tri-County Community Health Assessment and other local studies illuminate how Anythink’s Nature Library can support healthy communities by providing the benefits of nature access, appreciation, and learning to people of all ages in a growing and evolving Adams County:

• Adams County’s population is projected to grow at a higher rate (18%) than the state of Colorado (13%) between now and 2030.[1]
• In 2021, nearly 1 in 4 (22.8%) Adams County residents reported they were in poor mental health, an increase from 16.4% in 2019.[1]
• High school students in Adams County get less physical activity than high school students in the state as a whole: 41.3% are physically active for 60+ minutes for 5+ days/week compared to 48% statewide.[1]
• Thornton residents say it’s most important to expand or grow the city’s running/walking/biking trails (53%), natural open spaces (49%), and parks with playgrounds (34%).[2]
• 52% of Adams County residents think open space, parks, and trails are considered essential to the county’s way of life.[3]
• Around 8 in 10 Adams County residents support funding open space preservation and related projects.[3]

Sources:

[1] 2022 Tri-County Community Health Assessment
[2] 2023 City of Thornton Resident Survey Report
[3] 2019 Adams County Quality of Life Survey Report

For more information, view the Anythink Nature Library Fact Sheet.

Design renderings are subject to change.