Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary

Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary The Brick and Mortar location is closed after the death of Founder/Owner Mari Gruber In August. In the spring the experience will reemerge and reimagined.
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Hands-on nature based education center. Indoor live-flight butterfly room, exotic frog room, gift shop, films, programs, field trips, parties, scout programs.

06/06/2026

This is not a Photo, It is a 3D reproduction of the flight room created by using over 1100 photos of the room. The end result is something called a Gausian Splat. Much more to come

And a new story Begins......This month we began the reconstruction of the Sanctuary as an Immersive Experience. It is a...
06/06/2026

And a new story Begins......

This month we began the reconstruction of the Sanctuary as an Immersive Experience.

It is an emotional experience for me. Once completed it will be available as a 3D Immersive Experience available on-line and in a VR headset.

We have laid out the floor plan and are reconstructing the building right now.

We used a process that took over 1100 photos of the flight room, stitched them together and then created a 3D Model that you can walk through.

You are back in the flight room as it was when Mari passed.

This is called a Gaussian Splat. It will likely not be the finished product but instead will provide a guide for us as we model in 3D

What you see below is not a picture from a camera but rather the entire Flight Room put back together and rendered from over 1100 photos.

It came out fantastic. I sat in there with my headset on and did not feel alone.

This is exciting.

I expect that it will take us this month and next to recreate the entire building and grounds.

Then the magic will happen.

we will recreate the entire flight of the Monarch from Mexico to Main.

I must give one of my staff, Ambrose Cavalier credit for this wonderful creation.

I will post as we progress

Best
Kurt

One Story Ends, Another BeginsLast weekend, for the final time, I drove up to take a few last photographs—both outside a...
02/24/2026

One Story Ends, Another Begins

Last weekend, for the final time, I drove up to take a few last photographs—both outside and inside the Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary.

During the estate sale over the past few weeks, I found myself making the trip each weekend, always leaving with just a few more small things. It was hard not to.

Mari wasn’t just a beautiful person—she created an incredible experience at the sanctuary. For nearly 20 years, she touched the lives of so many people. I am a better person from having known her.

I still think of Mari every day. And to be honest, I am still a bit angry.

But last weekend, standing in the building and in the flight room, I said a quiet goodbye and realized it’s time to let go.

Thank you my friend for so many fun and interesting times.

And now, we start. anew.

The new owners of the building plan to create a community-centered environment with their business. They’re good people, and I believe Mari would be happy with what’s going to happen there.

I purchased the business to protect the brand and to find a way to keep the vision and mission of Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary alive in some form.

Two years ago, alongside my main company, I launched SN1XR—a studio focused on creating games, data visualizations, and immersive worlds accessible through VR headsets or desktop devices.

Two weeks ago, we began the early stages of digitally modeling the sanctuary location. We’ve started experimenting with additional elements around the building and throughout the property. While the structure itself has not yet been constructed in the virtual space, the floor plan is already placed on the lot. You can see it there, along with a garden and greenhouse we’ve added to the site.

This is exciting

I’ll be reaching out to a few of you to visit our office in Bethlehem and help me recreate Mari’s programs. I have all of the materials.

It won’t be the exact same experience that once existed in Penn Forest.

It will be different.

And in many ways, it will be more expansive—because now we can create things that can be imagined, but never physically built.

I truly wish the new owners of the building the very best. I believe they will create something meaningful and special in their own way.

To everyone who encouraged and supported Mari over the years as she brought her dream to life—thank you.

I’ll continue sharing updates on her website, the page, and my own page as this new story unfolds.

Kurt Jackson

Many of you are likely aware that I purchased the business assets of my best friend Mari Grubers Bear Mountain Butterfly...
01/18/2026

Many of you are likely aware that I purchased the business assets of my best friend Mari Grubers Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary . I did not purchase the building.

Mari passed away in late August after a 3 month battle with brain cancer

Thank You all for the support and endorsement as the Sancuary spirit and Mari's spirit winter in the forest of Mexico and prepare for the flight back in the spring.

This will be an exciting mission driven journey. All of you are invited to come along on the metamorphoses and flight back

I will post later this weekend outlining our plans for how her vision for connecting adults and children to nature will live on featuring the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly.

But I need help.

In the assets purchase was of course the business web site. Mari had someone set it up. If any of your know who this was or or are that person could you contact me at [email protected]?

Sunday I will be outlining the plans for next chapter of Mari's Mission, Vision and new sanctuary experiance

Thank you all for supporting her over the years. She did it, and those of you that supported her did it. It was an incredible experience and journey. A special thank you to her dedicated and incredible staff.

Now we start anew.

Here is a hint as to where we will be moving the experience to:

"No walls will confine us"

This is going to be exciting

Thank you all especially my best friend for the last 20 years Mari the Butterfly Lady, you are so missed.

Best
Curtis Mark Jackson

Address

Bethlehem, PA
18017

Telephone

+15703254848

Website

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