Irvine Nature Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Irvine Nature Center |
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| Type | nature center |
| Location | 11201 Garrison Forest Road Owings Mills, Maryland |
| Area | 210 acres (0.85 km2) |
| Created | 1975 |
| Founder | Olivia Irvine Dodge |
| Hiking trails | 6 miles (9.7 km) |
| Website | explorenature.org |
The Irvine Nature Center is a fantastic place in Owings Mills, Maryland, where you can explore and learn about nature. It's a special kind of park called a nature center. The center is huge, covering 210 acres of land. That's like having 210 football fields to discover!
At Irvine, you'll find a large, eco-friendly building with cool exhibits and classrooms. There's also an outdoor classroom, a special area to learn about Native American culture, and an amphitheater for events. You can hike on over 8 miles of trails. Irvine is also home to a Nature Preschool for young children and a homeschool program called Earth Friends. About 80,000 people visit Irvine every year to enjoy its family nature programs and fun summer camps.
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Discovering the Irvine Nature Center
The Irvine Nature Center is a busy place with lots to do. It's known for hosting special events, like outdoor weddings. The center offers many programs for families to learn about nature together. Kids can join exciting summer camps. Irvine also helps other educators learn how to teach young children, aged 3-5, about the natural world.
The History of Irvine Nature Center
How Irvine Nature Center Started
The Irvine Nature Center was founded in 1975 by a woman named Olivia Irvine Dodge. It began in an old barn at St. Timothy's School in Stevenson, Maryland. Olivia Dodge wanted to teach children how important it is to protect our planet.
Today, Irvine is the biggest independent, non-profit nature center in its area. Its main goal is to teach and inspire people of all ages. They want everyone to explore, respect, and protect nature for the future.
Moving to a New Home
In 2008, the center moved to its current location in Owings Mills. This happened because St. Timothy's School sold some of its land. The state of Maryland then gave the current land to Irvine Nature Center. This land used to be part of the Rosewood Center.
In October 2015, Irvine received a generous gift from the Charles T. Bauer Charitable Foundation. This gift allowed Irvine to buy an extra 93 acres of land next door. This new area is now called Bauer Preserve. It brought the total size of the center to 210 acres.
Exploring Diverse Habitats
The land at Irvine Nature Center has many different types of natural areas. These include open wetlands, tall forests, grassy meadows, and wet forests. It also has farmland. The center is home to the starting points of two important local rivers, the Jones Falls and Gwynns Falls. This variety of habitats makes it a great place to see many different plants and animals.
Images for kids
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A Hognose Snake at the center.
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Stuffed birds on display.
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