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
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
PreK - 12 children served each year
Acres restored into native plant communities
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
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.
Read MoreLuckey’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.
Read MoreProfessor 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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