Merry Lea hosts annual NatureFest May 5-6 for children and adults

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – All ages will enjoy Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center’s annual NatureFest on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6. NatureFest offers hands-on activities, hikes and seminars for people of all ages in a friendly, community-oriented atmosphere. The weekend offers opportunities to explore the outdoors, learn from trained naturalists, glean practical tips for earth-friendly living and spend quality time with family or friends.

NatureFest kicks off Friday evening at 7 p.m. with featured guest Karen Lamere of Indianapolis, Ind., an environmental educator with a background in fisheries and wildlife. She will offer a program on reptiles and amphibians. Lamere’s programs are interactive and geared for all ages. Children will enjoy the opportunity to learn frog calls and meet a few of Lamere’s cold-blooded friends.

Lamere is also a Native American. Her second program, offered at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, will introduce the Ho-chunk (Winnebago) people. The program will offer opportunities to play Native American games and learn about crafts, dances, toys, beadwork and what it is like to live in two worlds.

Another highlight of this year’s NatureFest is the opportunity to tour Rieth Village on Saturday at either 9:15 a.m. or 1 p.m. This brand-new facility was built to save energy, prevent water pollution, keep its occupants safe from VOCs and meet the most rigorous standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Ground source heat pumps, a wind generator, extra insulation, recycled materials, cisterns, rain gardens and solar panels are just a few of the features that make these buildings unique.

A variety of other hikes and seminars will be offered throughout Saturday, led by Merry Lea’s staff and volunteers. Landowners tired of mowing will want to attend land manager Bill Minter’s workshop on Native Plantings. The hike will visit several of Minter’s prairie areas at Merry Lea. Participants will learn how to begin a native planting and what to expect at various stages.

Beginning backpackers will benefit from Paul Steury’s introduction to the activity, or his hike featuring Indiana’s wild edibles. Hikers game for a longer jaunt can join program director Dave Miller’s cross-property hike through a diversity of wetland, prairie and forest ecosystems.

Participants can also sign up to attend a ground water seminar or go on a geocaching adventure using global positioning systems. They can take a canoe trip, learn about bird banding or weave a basket out of reed canary grass.

For those who wish to stay overnight, tent camping is permitted. Breakfast and lunch will be served on Saturday. Adult fees are $5 per event or meal or $20 for the weekend, including camping overnight. Children under 12 pay $3 per event or meal or $15 for the weekend. Or pay $30 per family for Saturday; $40 per family for the weekend. Advance registration is required for those who want to camp. It is recommended but not required for hikes. For more information and to register, e-mail Jennifer Schrock at jenniferhs@goshen.edu or call (260) 799-5869.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is a 1,150-acre nature center located in central Noble County and owned and operated by Goshen College. 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. For more information and directions, go to www.goshen.edu/merrylea. Visitors should come to the Farmstead location and park in the general parking area.

--by Jennifer Schrock

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 four-year 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.