Health, Wellness and Quality of Life Outdoors at the Jester Park Nature Center

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

It's 6:00 a.m. on a Monday. 

Time to start the week. 

Whether you're a student rushing to squeeze in an extra hour of studying before class after a late night in the library; a parent rushing to get children awake, dressed and excited for the school day; or a vital cog in the work machine that is the corporate and small business world, you are no stranger to the daily stresses and obligations of this modern world.


Now, more than ever, the restorative powers of nature are not ones to overlook. The average American lifestyle does not allow much for the natural and necessary slowdown crucial to optimal health and wellness. Immersion in the natural world provides a passive process by which simply being present provides immense benefits to one's overall well-being. The Jester Park Nature Center will provide a haven for respite from this fast-paced world in which we reside.

The nature center will serve as an outdoor recreation hub where both education and access intersect resulting in a myriad of available activities that include hiking, birding, canoeing, geocaching, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, camping and more. Whether you’re a seasoned outdoorsperson or simply have an interest in getting more active outdoors, think of the Jester Park Nature Center as the launchpad into all your adventures in the natural world.

This center will also embrace the opportunity to partner with local health care agencies and initiatives to improve our state's overall heath and well-being. Polk County Conservation and UnityPoint Health - Des Moines have been partnering for years to encourage people to Do More Outdoors.

The physical and mental health benefits people derive from being outdoors is significant. Educating the public about outdoor health and recreation will be enhanced greatly because of the Jester Park Nature Center.  -  Joseph F. Corfits, Jr., CFO, UnityPoint Health.

It is vital to provide a gathering a place - a starting point if you will - for residents and visitors to begin their outdoor adventures and path to health. Accessibility is the key component in this recipe for wellness and the Jester Park Nature Center will fill that current gap in Polk County. Access to the tools and knowledge, as well as the inspiration to get outside and into nature, is what the Jester Park Nature Center will bring to central Iowa.