Headwaters Science Center Feels Economic Squeeze

By Carl Sewall

The Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji has closed its doors on Tuesdays to cut costs amid declining grant and donation revenue. In addition to the shortened week, the bad economy has forced the Center to cut hours for its staff and to reduce inventory in its gift shop.

While such measures do not indicate good fiscal health, the Science Center’s director, Laddie Elwell, brings perspective to the situation. “We’ve always been on the edge,” she says, “we’ve always been fortunate. When things look bad, something good turns up.”

It remains to be seen what good thing will turn up for the Science Center in the current difficult economy, however, and others are not so sanguine. Peggy Nygaard, a long-time HSC employee, adds “We’re definitely struggling,” noting the drop in grant revenue and gift store purchases.

From its unlikely inception in 1992, the HSC has been a unique resource for the region, offering visitors the opportunity to interact with unique scientific exhibits and exotic fauna—including reptiles, amphibians, fish, hawks, owls, and (every so often) chickens.


The only science center within a 200 mile radius, the HSC drew more than 21,000 visitors in 2008. Schools from across Northern Minnesota visit regularly. However, with school budgets in a crisis, it remains an open question whether this mainstay of the Science Center’s income will buoy its finances in the coming season and, therefore, whether the HSC itself will be able to outlast this recession.

In the past, donations, grants, and earned income have each contributed approximately a third of the HSC’s financing. Currently, in the wake of sharply falling grants and donations, earned income constitutes fully half of the HSC’s revenue—and even that figure is declining.

Some speculate the Science Center will be forced to close its doors before the year is out. Dann Siems, who sits on the Science Center’s board, gives a dour view of the current situation, calling the figures he’s seen “breathtakingly bad.” Mr. Siems, while acknowledging the HSC has weathered budget crises in the past, feels the current situation is extraordinarily bleak, and thinks a large change in finances is necessary if the HSC is likely to continue operation.

But remembering back to the early 1990s—before she and her husband, Jim, struggled with a handful of others to bring the Center into existence—Elwell recalls a time when Bemidji didn’t have a science center. It was a situation that prompted these many years of dedicated effort. “We’ve always been hand-to-mouth,” she says, “We need to be more active in fund raising. We need to stabilize before we can move forward.”

And in the end, she is motivated by one defining principle: “Little kids should not grow up thinking that ‘science’ is a bad word.”

If little people of the area have access to HSC, they have numerous opportunities to make science a positive part of their worlds. Every Wednesday morning, from 10 to 11, children between the ages of 2 and 6 are welcome to stop in for a session of "Tots-n-Science. For older kids, ages 8 to 13, the Science Club provides hands-on exploration opportunities each Monday between 3:45 and 5:00. A summer Science Club will be available every Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 between June 11 and August 27, 2009. Camp Invention is always a hit for the children in first to sixth grade. This summer, Camp Invention will run from August 3-7. HSC is also a perfect setting for birthday parties.
Call the Headwaters Science Center at 218-444-4472 for more information about their services, memberships, and upcoming events.

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