Kalamazoo Nature Center

The Kalamazoo Nature Center, founded in 1960, is housed on 1,136 acres of diverse habitats in a rural area 4 miles north of Kalamazoo. This includes an old growth, beech/maple forest (one of the few relatively undisturbed pre -settlement examples of its kind in the state), floodplain forest, marsh, ponds, fen (rare), trout stream and its entire watershed, reconstructed prairie and old fields. Our mission is to inspire people to care for the environment by providing experiences that lead them to understand their connection to the natural world.

In addition, KNC has protected over 2,900 acres of land in nine parcels throughout Michigan. These properties include such natural features as old growth beech/maple forest, remnant prairie, floodplain forest, wooded dunes, sphagnum/tamarack bog, and hemlock/white pine forest. They are protected as a part of the Biodiversity Stewardship program and are used in the Education and Research Programs.

Our extensive land base ranks us as the largest nature center in Michigan and one of the largest in the country.

The primary site has a 200?acre pioneer farm, a 25?acre Arboretum and Hummingbird/Butterfly garden (with over 800 trees and 550 shrubs), and 2 reconstructed prairies, including a 140 acre native Tallgrass prairie. The 33,000 sq. foot Visitor Center houses an award-winning indoor exhibit, Nature Up Close, and a three-story tropical Sun-Rain Room with live animals.  The Glen Vista Gallery, also located inside the Visitor Center, boasts a wildlife viewing area and art gallery.  The Visitor Center also includes a newly-renovated classroom that opens directly to the trails.

Live animals used in programs include non-releasable birds of prey, Michigan farm animals, native Michigan reptiles, amphibians and fish that are appropriately integrated with our permanent exhibits.

Fourteen trails covering nearly twelve miles wind through KNC’s acreage in Kalamazoo.  The Habitat Haven trail and Arboretum trail are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Our mission is to inspire people to care for the environment by providing experiences that lead them to understand their connection to the natural world.

Last year, over 132,000 contacts were made through Nature Center programs and services statewide.

Since the Nature Center’s inception, education, research, and conservation have been the primary components of its mission.  Current efforts in these areas:

• A wide variety of guided nature lessons for schoolchildren from preschool through high school are offered on-site throughout the school year and on-site educational programs are offered in summer for youth groups. Programs run from one hour in length to five days.
• The outreach program travels to classrooms, libraries, senior centers, and community organizations year-round with programs on a wide range of topics.
• Kalamazoo Nature Center Camp has been in operation for over 50 years.  A wide variety of nature-themed camps are offered from June through August for children ages 3 to 17.  The Nature Center also runs a Winter camp and a Spring Break camp.
• Public programs are offered year-round for all ages and include family programs every Sunday at 2pm, monthly series for specific age groups and several large events held throughout the year, including the Maple Sugar Festival, Creatures of the Night, and the Holidays at the Homestead.
• Nature’s Way Preschool has been in operation for over 30 years and has recently been expanded and earned a 5-star rating. The curriculum combines environmental education with traditional pre-school activities for children ages three and four.
• KNC’s DeLano Farms is a working, educational farm whose initial purpose is to serve as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model for the community.  CSA is a farming model based on a mutually beneficial relationship between farmers and eaters (members), where members buy “shares” of the farm early in the season and commit to sharing not only in the harvest, but the ups and downs of the season as well.
• The research program conducts long-term avian research through bird banding, breeding bird surveys, migration counts, Christmas bird counts, and a winter bird feeder survey.  The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan, published by the Nature Center and now in its 2nd edition, offers detailed ecological descriptions of 215 Michigan species.
• The Citizen Science program began in 2004 and involves regular people in real science research, both here at KNC and on their own.  Some of the projects volunteers train for are Nestbox Monitoring, Monarch Tagging, and Feeder Surveys.
• The Imperiled Butterfly Conservation Initiative (IBCM) is a national organization comprised of not-for-profits, non-government, higher education, butterfly and invertebrate gardens, museums, and zoo conservation programs. The Michigan Butterfly Network connects and trains volunteer butterfly monitors in Michigan.

• Great Lakes Ecological Management, a contract service of the Kalamazoo Nature Center, helps clientele protect our natural heritage through the development and execution of sound ecological management.  Great Lakes Ecological Management specializes in invasive species control, prescribed fire, wetland permitting, habitat delineation, floristic surveys, and management plan writing. Habitat conservation consultation and natural features inventories for local government, corporations, golf courses, and individuals.
• The Nature Center extends its reach by working in partnership with many other organizations.