The 1,189-acre preserve contains a wonderful complex of lakes, wetlands, upland and lowland forests, oak savannas/woodlands, prairies and meadows. Unique geological features include:

• A glacial esker on the west side of the property. This is a gravel ridge formed by sediments deposited in a glacial meltwater channel flowing under the historic glacier.
• Several glacial kames. Kames are landscape-scale sediment mounds that accumulated in depressions on a retreating glacier. They were then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the glacier.

For more information on the ecosystems of Merry Lea use the links below. A 2019 article in the Environmental Monitor also provides detailed information.