KALAMAZOO NATURE CENTER

The Kalamazoo Nature Center is situated on 1,100 acres of ecologically significant rolling hills, prairie and glens along the Kalamazoo River north of Kalamazoo. Founded in 1969, the Kalamazoo Nature Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire people to care for the environment by providing experiences that lead them to understand their connection to the natural world.

The focal point of the $1.1 million makeover is the rehabilitation, adaptive re-use and expansion of a 5,000 square foot barn, which formerly housed farm animals. The barn now serves as the program center for the Kalamazoo Nature Center Camp and houses the camp welcome center, administrative office, catering kitchen, meeting and storage spaces, restrooms and showers and an art studio/ecology lab to allow campers hands-on nature study experiences.

Other camp improvements include a new entry drive, renovation of the gathering barn, amphitheater and ground areas, splash pad and water features supplied by a new well system.