ABOUT BELOIT 2020
I
n the late 1980s, Beloit area community leaders
began a private, non-profit corporation to
foster improvement of the City’s core. Much
of the organization’s work has focused on
redevelopment of properties along the Rock River
corridor as it flows through the city. Nature at
the Confluence is the first of the projects on the
corridor in South Beloit, Illinois.
The corporation, now called Beloit 2020,
is governed by a board selected from the
membership. Members include decision makers
of all larger private sector entities in the Beloit
area. Annual dues cover operational costs;
fund drives are directed at specific community
projects. The corporation actively seeks
community input on projects and plans, and it
works with other community organizations to
complete projects successfully.
Confluence. The hope is that students will be able to use
the property as an outdoor classroom.
The plan includes restoring grasslands and savanna –
habitats that would have been present 200 years ago
– with trails, access to quiet water sports, a natural
amphitheater, and exhibits on area Native American history
as well as the use of rain gardens, restoration of forests, the
role of wetlands, and other ecological topics.
“Visitors can have the ecological experience, the Native
American interpretation experience, the opportunities to
experience and learn from nature in a park that also offers
recreational opportunities in a natural setting,” Blue said.
As the work progresses, Nature at the Confluence could
become an urban destination point, with a 30-foot-high
“eagle’s nest” overlook, community meeting places and
outdoor classroom experiences, and special programming
to draw visitors to South Beloit and its adjoining neighbor,
Beloit, in Wisconsin.
The first truly visible change to the property is set to begin
soon: “We’ve announced the successful completion of
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