Rieth Village Dedicated

Cottages named after soil types.

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – Over 150 students, staff, board members, faculty, contractors, design team members and friends of Merry Lea gathered Saturday afternoon, April 8, to attend the outdoor dedication of Rieth Village, the environmentally friendly complex of residences and classrooms that will welcome its first students as part of Goshen College's May Term.

Above them, the 10 kilowatt wind generator spun in a brisk breeze as the solar hot water panels on the cottage roofs absorbed the spring sunshine.

Coolant connected to pipes deep underground flowed to and from ground source heat pumps, and downspouts were in place to carry rain water into a cistern for later use to flush toilets.

These are just a few of the environmentally friendly features that are part of this newest addition to Goshen College's Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center located near Wolf Lake, IN.

Featured speakers at the dedication ceremonies included Dr. John Yordy, Interim President of Goshen College, Max Lake, chair of the Merry Lea board of trustees, and Dr. Luke Gascho, executive director.

In their comments, officials noted that Rieth Village, with its energy-saving features, is an idea whose time has come.

Max Lake observed that times have changed as environmental science takes its place as a key field of study along with biology, chemistry and physics.

President Yordy called attention to a recent Time Magazine cover about global warming that said, “Be very worried.”

“Rieth Village will enhance Merry Lea’s contribution to a healthy global environment,” Yordy said. “[It will] emphasize sustainability, good stewardship and education. This commitment to be environmentally responsible is grounded in our call to be stewards of God’s earth, to care for the earth and to bring rest and renewal to the land.”

Dr. Luke Gascho, Merry Lea’s executive director, announced the new names of the cottages during the dedication. Gascho and his staff chose to christen the buildings using the names of soils found in the surrounding fields, partly because Lee Rieth, Merry Lea’s founding donor, was a civil engineer and knew soils intimately.

The largest cottage, 3,530 sq. ft., was christened Oshtemo. Oshtemo Cottage will serve as a classroom building until an academic building is added at a later date. Its name refers to a deep, well-drained sandy loam, formed under deciduous tree cover,” Gascho explained. In earlier usage, “oshtemo” was a Native American word meaning, “head waters.”

The two smaller cottages, each 2,200 square feet, will be used as student housing. They were named Pewamo and Washtenaw after soils also found nearby.

As the dedication concluded, all members of the audience were invited to help plant a burr oak tree nearby. Attenders each scooped a shovelful of dirt into the hole around the root ball, and enthusiastic children continued the job after the service was over.

Burr oak is a long-lived, slow-growing native species. As Gascho pointed out, “it will reach maturity only after all of us here are dead.” The same could be said for the vision that undergirds Rieth Village.

Following the dedication, Gascho led a guided tour of the buildings and the sustainable features of the facilities.

Participants then gathered for a dinner at the farmstead followed by the concluding part of the program that focused on the history of Merry Lea and the three elements of the center's mission: Providing a natural sanctuary for northern Indiana's plants and animals, prviding environmental education for people of all ages, and providing re-creating experiences for the body and soul.

The facility is designed to serve undergraduate students studying natural history, environmental education and agroecology. Students in Goshen College professor Stan Grove’s Principles of Biology class found themselves in class even as they toured Rieth Village prior to the dedication ceremonies.

“So why did they use 2 x 6” studs instead of 2”x4”s?” asks a student, prompted by the worksheet in her hand. Another was busy figuring out how a ground source heat pump works, and another simply abandoned the worksheet and asked: “Where can I buy low VOC paint?”

These Goshen College students are the first generation of many students expected to study in Rieth Village, a cluster of three earth-friendly buildings that comprise the first phase of a complex that will house Goshen College’s expanding environmental science program.

Rieth Village enables students to live near the ecosystems they are studying at the college’s 1,150-acre nature preserve. The first resident students will climb into their bunk beds in May and live and study either ornithology or ecology on site for their initial three-week course. This will be followed by a course on environmental education for prospective teachers and a new summer intensive in agroecology

Rieth Village was conceived and designed to meet the highest standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. LEED buildings are required to meet rigorous standards in areas such as energy efficiency, water management, use of recycled materials and indoor air quality. At present, no Indiana building has attained LEED certification, though several are in process.

The new developments at Merry Lea also coincide with two recent milestones: 2005 marked Merry Lea’s 40th year of existence and its 25th year of partnership with Goshen College.

“It is moving to see how our history has served as a foundation for our current objectives and our emphasis on environmentally sustainable living,” said Gascho. “Our mission has remained consistent over this time period.”

A second opportunity to tour Rieth Village will be Saturday, May 6 during Merry Lea’s annual NatureFest. For more information on the dedication or the NatureFest, call (260) 799-5869 or e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is an 1,150-acre nature center located in central Noble County and owned and operated by Goshen College. It offers environmental education to over 7,000 school children each year, provides programs to the public and serves as a research site for undergraduates.

This natural sanctuary for northern Indiana’s plants and animals, provides environmental education for people of all ages and a setting to recreate opportunities that benefit the human body and spirit without exploiting the land. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth.

Jennifer Schrock