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 click on the bullet points below. A 2019 article in the Environmental Monitor also provides detailed information.