A new $5.2 million education center will connect more Michigan kids with nature

Aug 09, 2023

People walk up to the homestead cabin during Maple Syrup Day on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at Chippewa Nature Center in Midland.Katy Kildee | MLive.com file

MIDLAND, MI — Midland’s Chippewa Nature Center, which offers a nature preschool, nature day camp and other outdoor experiences for Michigan children and families, is planning a $5.2 million addition.

The nonprofit nature center established in 1966 with a mission to connect all people with nature through educational, recreational and cultural experiences is located at 400 S. Badour Road in Midland, and access to its 19 miles of trails is free to all from dawn to dark, 365 days a year. Now, nature center officials are planning to add a $5.2 million nature education center to the property, to “enhance opportunities for positive nature connections for youth throughout the region for years to come.”

The new nature education center will be located near Chippewa Nature Center’s existing nature preschool and visitor center buildings and will feature multi-purpose indoor program space, two nature preschool classrooms, office space, a meeting room, accessible restrooms and food preparation areas, an outdoor covered area for school and camp programs and lunches, nature play areas and access to nearby trails and ponds.

Crews are expected to break ground on the project next year, with construction wrapping up in 2025, according to a nature center news release announcing the plans.

CNC’s nature day camp and preschool programs have outgrown their current space, and the new building will increase the nature center’s capacity to serve area children and inspire them to “build lifelong, meaningful relationships with the natural world.”

Nature day camp is CNC’s longest running program through which thousands of children have “experienced the magic of catching frogs at the pond, creating a miniature homestead village in the woods or learning how to paddle on a river,” the release states. Every year, more than 1,200 children ages 3 to 17 attend the camp.

And CNC’s nature preschool, established in 2007, currently offers 140 3- and 4-year-olds a “high-quality learning environment that meets their developmental needs while initiating them into a lifelong, meaningful relationship with the natural world.”

CNC also offers more than 30 authentic, place-based and curriculum-connected school programs, including half- and full-day on-site field trips. During the 2022-23 school year, CNC hosted nearly 18,000 students from 43 school districts.

“Chippewa Nature Center has spent several years assessing the need for additional youth programming space at CNC. While all of our current buildings will remain in use, this new building will provide a permanent home for Nature Day Camp and one of our preschool classrooms,” Jenn Kirts, director of programs, said in an email to MLive. “Together, these programs serve over 1,200 children each year, supporting their well-being, learning and growth. CNC is excited to continue to be a partner with families and our community as we grow to meet increasing demand for these youth programs.”

CNC has raised $4.2 million toward the $5.2 million project, with support from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation and individual donors, as well as funding provided by CNC.

“The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation has been a partner and supporter of CNC and its programs since its inception in 1966,” Ruth Alden Doan, president and trustee of the foundation, said in a statement. “We are proud to support the Nature Education Center project, which will greatly contribute to the quality of life in the Great Lakes Bay Region.”

CNC Executive Director Dennis Pilaske added in a statement, “CNC’s first parcels of land were donated by The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Dorothy Dow Arbury, daughter of Herbert and Grace, was instrumental in securing that land, and provided incredible leadership as an original board member.”

Pilaske said connecting people to nature is “critical to the health and well being of our community.”

“We are thrilled to provide this new resource to connect even more people to nature.”

The CNC visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday and select holidays. For more information about the nature center and its programs, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org.

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