This report describes a 1989 leadership round-table discussion at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in New York, which promotes emotional and intellectual linkages between people, especially children, to nature. The document includes the keynote remarks of three speakers along with some administrative guidelines for nature centers. Conservation teacher William Hammond's address deals with architectural considerations for facility construction, focusing on finding and working with an architect. Identifying the program's purpose, goals, and building requirements are key parts to the design process. It is also important to remember that different architects have different values. Mike Templeton, director of the National Science Foundation's Informal Science Education Program (ISE), offers tips on how to work with potential funding agencies. Templeton uses a simulation game to explain, in great detail, the process of communicating with local and federal foundations like ISE. Donald Cook, director of the Tiorati Workshop for Environmental Learning, describes the value of environmental education for children, with his New York workshop as an alternative-model nature center. The Tiorati work, meeting, and research areas are well-designed and equipped for environmental study. The center hosts day-long environmental education programs for elementary students, who set up their own research projects. At the same time, the center trains teachers to become independent learners themselves, cultivating them as leaders of children. The final sections of the report lists goals, guidelines, and evaluation criteria for nature-center architecture, funding, and educational programs. (TES)