Wildflower fans to hike Noble County, April 25

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College will sponsor a Noble County Wildflower tour on Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will visit four sites: Merry Lea, Crooked Lake Nature Preserve, Bender Memorial Forest and Spurgeon Nature Preserve.

John Smith, of Goshen, Ind., will lead the tour. The group will hike through a lowland old growth forest and see some of the largest tulip poplars in the state. Large-flowered trillium, blue-eyed Marys, bloodroot, hepatica, celandine poppy, dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn are among the flowers they're likely to encounter. At Crooked Lake, they'll pass a unique plant community nurtured by a calciferous seep, as well as other wetland habitats.

Participants should meet at Merry Lea, just south of Wolf Lake, Ind., at 9 a.m. Van transportation is limited to the first 14 registrants. Others may follow in their own cars. Participants should bring a picnic lunch. The tour costs $25 and to register, call (260) 799-5869 or e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is an 1,189-acre nature preserve owned and operated by Goshen College. It is located midway between Goshen and Fort Wayne, just south of Wolf Lake and Rt. 33. For more information and directions, visit: www.goshen.edu/merrylea.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.