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The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is a municipal nature preserve on the north-eastern corner of Austin, Minnesota, comprising more than 500 acres (200 ha) of restored and remnant prairie, hardwood forest, wetlands and meandering streams. Purchased with municipal, state, and private donations, the nature center is administered by the Austin municipal government through the Parks and Recreation Department. Named in honor of Jay Catherwood Hormel, the son of Hormel Foods Corporation founder George A. Hormel. His private estate forms the original land of the park. Jay C. Hormel Nature Center features an Interpretive Center, the Ruby Rupner Auditorium, the "big gneiss rock", a Welcome Circle and over ten miles of hiking trails. Along the trails, visitors will find a number of wooden bridges, covered benches and an observation tower that affords a panoramic view of many acres of prairie and forest. Depending on the time of year, a great variety of wildlife can be viewed at the nature center, including white-tailed deer, mink, salamanders, turtles and many species of birds and butterflies.