Applications Open for High School Summer Camp at Merry Lea

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is hosting a weeklong summer camp for upcoming high school juniors and seniors to learn about the broad world of conservation during Conservation Leadership School (CLS)! Students will camp overnight and explore Merry Lea’s 1,189-acre nature preserve from June 2 – 6, 2025.

Students will canoe across glacial lakes, run a community nature event, and get a taste of careers like botany, land management, environmental education and sustainable farming. They will enjoy an educational and rejuvenating week with peers and professionals passionate about the natural world.

The entire camp costs $80, which includes meals and lodging for the whole week, and full scholarships are available. Interested students need to fill out an application online and have a teacher or mentor submit a short letter of recommendation by April 28 at merrylea.goshen.edu/cls.

Throughout the week, CLS students are surrounded by Merry Lea’s forests, prairies, wetlands, teaching farm and other ecosystems. This not only provides the immersive learning setting for the program, but is also the backdrop for everyday connections to the plant and animal inhabitants of these landscapes.

“I think it is very important to lead by example, showing that it is possible and plausible to live sustainably,” said one participant from a previous year.

“Showing leadership means setting an example for people to follow. It means being the first one to step up and do something about a problem,” reflected another previous CLS student.

A main goal of this program is for young people to become better equipped to serve as leaders in environmental settings. More details can be found on our website at merrylea.goshen.edu/cls.

Merry Lea is located just south of Wolf Lake, Ind., halfway between Goshen and Fort Wayne. Directions and updates are available at merrylea.goshen.edu or the Merry Lea Facebook page. For questions regarding Merry Lea’s hours or new developments, contact merrylea@goshen.edu or (260) 799-5869.

Apply for CLS here!