Merry Lea to offer weekly autumn hikes

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is offering a series of Monday hikes from 9 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. These weekly expeditions, led by trained naturalists, will focus on the changes that take place in Merry Lea's fall foliage and prairies as nature readies itself for the winter.

"Our hikes are generally intimate experiences, with the pace and level of the hike adapted to the people who attend," said Jennifer Schrock, coordinator of public programs at Merry Lea. "Attenders have a chance to ask questions or contribute their own observations."

A different naturalist will lead each hike so that those who attend the whole series will hear different emphases. "I expect we'll see a variety of mushrooms next week," said Merry Lea's Lisa Zinn, who will lead the Oct. 5 hike. "Paying attention to seeds and seed dispersal is interesting at this time of year, and there are a number of fun autumn butterflies." One of these is the buckeye butterfly, with dramatic eyespots that startle predators but delight human beings. New England asters and their many white cousins will still be in bloom in early October as well. Zinn, an avid birder, will be especially attentive to migrating birds on her walk. Fall warblers, without their breeding plumage, provide enough challenge for even the advanced birder.

Bill Minter, Merry Lea's land manager and a certified forester, can help hikers understand more about why and how trees change color in response to changes in temperature and day length. He can also coach participants to recognize even bare trees. To the trained eye, their shape, bark and growth habits give them away.

Participants who attend each week will be able to watch a silent drama unfold, as a speckling of red and gold becomes a blaze and new species rotate in and out of the limelight.

To join in the hikes, meet at the Learning Center. To register or get directions, e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu or call (260) 799-5869 by the Thursday before the hike you plan to attend. Cost: $5 per person per hike; $15 if paid Oct. 5 for the series. Maximum per family: $15 per hike.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is a 1,189-acre nature preserve located in central Noble County, midway between Fort Wayne and Goshen. Merry Lea's landscape includes a diversity of forest, prairie and wetland ecosystems. The center provides environmental education to people of all ages, including over 7,000 school children each year. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth. To learn more, visit their Web site at www.goshen.edu/merrylea.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Jennifer Schrock at (260) 799-5869 or jenniferhs@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.