Merry Lea Environmental
Learning Center of Goshen College

We spark lifelong curiosity and appreciation for our environment through immersive, place-based learning experiences.

Join us in our mission

nature prek students exploring bird nest
Students dipping in wetland
GC first year students dipping in wetland
MAEE leading field trip trail group

Join us in our mission

We transform relationships with nature by connecting people with a sense of place and hope. Through nature conservation and sustainable food production, we provide immersive learning experiences for people of all ages to explore and care for our local environment.

Our Work

6000+ PreK - 12 children served each year
6000+

PreK - 12 children served each year

175+ Acres restored into native plant communities
175+

Acres restored into native plant communities

#3 nationally ranked college farm
#3

nationally ranked college farm

Conservation

Interacting with the land

Active land management has occurred since Merry Lea came under the ownership of Goshen College in 1980. Land management activities, under the guidance of the Director of Land Management, serve to support all aspects of Merry Lea’s mission by identifying, maintaining, restoring and managing for a diversity of native northeast Indiana plant and animal habitats.

Conservation

Where Earth and people meet.

Merry Lea
Teaching Farm

Merry Lea Teaching Farm

Living alongside nature sustainably

Farming is just one of the many human activities that take a toll on the natural world. At Merry Lea, we have developed a teaching farm where we employ practices designed to protect soil ecosystems, encourage beneficial insects, grow healthy food and live in harmony with our surroundings.

Recent News

Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Merry Lea

By elena-fischer on Friday, July 29, 2022

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center now has a free and public charging station for electric vehicles! Located in our Learning Center parking lot, our ChargePoint station is free for the community to use every day of the week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Luckey’s Landing: Where the Forest, Grassland and Wetland Come Together

By mladmin on Monday, July 25, 2022

Written by Michael Miller, current 2022-23 master’s student - It’s official! I finally began my graduate school journey to become an environmental educator through Goshen College’s Master of Arts in Environmental Education program at Merry Lea.

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Professor Joel Pontius: 7 Years of Developing Environmental Leaders at Merry Lea

By elena-fischer on Thursday, June 30, 2022

Joel Pontius joined the Merry Lea team in 2015 as director of PreK-12 environmental education, overseeing PreK-12 programming and the master’s students in their teaching practicum. In 2016, he became the Sustainability Leadership Semester (SLS) director and associate professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department.

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