Program registration is bow open at Merry Lea Environment Learning Center |

ALBION — Public program registration is open now for the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center’s spring and summer sessions.

• Spring Break Day Camp participants at Merry Lea will become animal analysts. They will explore a variety of wildlife including insects, amphibians, birds and much more through fun investigations. Hike through different wildlife habitats, swing a net to catch interesting insects, and build your own bird nest.

Camp is for kindergarten through fifth-grade learners, April 7-11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily. Extended care is available for an additional fee. Cost is $80 per student.

• The Jr/Teen IMN Summer Day Camp program features various nature topics for local youth to discover Indiana’s outdoor world through hands-on activities, outdoor investigations, volunteering and learning from local experts across different career paths, interests and organizations.

The program runs July 20-24, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily, for ages 9-16. Cost is $125 per student and is held at the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center in Albion and the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site in Rome City.

The Nature Explorers series focuses on the environment. Come for one, two, or all three of our sessions designed to explore the overlap between nature and science through games, activities, and trail investigations.

June’s Wetlands & Watercolors and will get students immersed in a wetland ecosystem while learning about the small animals and creatures that call it home. July’s Flower Power will investigate the different types of flowers that are found throughout various ecosystems, dissect a flower to learn about its anatomy and make flower art. August’s Farm Frenzy will explore the many different parts of the farm including compost, animals, and the garden.

Sessions are held on July 11, July 9 and Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon, for elementary-ae students. The cost is $7 per child per session.

• Upcoming high school juniors and seniors can make Merry Lea their home for a week this summer during Conservation Leadership School.

Students will camp overnight and explore a world full of natural resources and conservation. Hike across historic wetlands, plan and run a community nature event, and get a taste of careers like wildlife biology, land management, botany and many others. Students will experience an educational and rejuvenating week at our beautiful 1,189 acre nature sanctuary with peers and professionals inspired by the natural world.

Session is June 1-5 for high school juniors and seniors in the 2025-26 school year. Cost is $85 per student. application deadline is due May 8.

• Quiet Paddles & Wild Wings is a gentle adventure for families to explore the world of birds together. The session will begin on land, tuning eyes and ears to the flutter, chirp and swoop of feathered friends in the woods. Then participants will slip into canoes and paddle around High Lake, gliding through bird habitat and seeing what can be spotted along the shore and overhead. Binoculars, field guides, canoes and all equipment are provided.

Session is on Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is $7 per adult, $5 per child.

• Tales & Trails is the free monthly program for children and their caregiver(s). the program includes a short story that incites curiosity before exploring different locations around Merry Lea’s property. Expect to hear a tale and hike a trail while discovering the natural wonders around you together.

This is a 1 1/2-hour monthly program is designed for children ages 3-5, with younger siblings welcome to join and is led by a Merry Lea educator. Registration is not required for this event series.

Program is the last Tuesday of each month, except December, from 10-11 a.m.

• Merry Lea Milers: Bites & Biodiversity is a new monthly hiking group that will hear from a guest speaker about various nature-related topics while eating some lunch. Afterward, participants will spend the rest of the time hiking and exploring around the property. Registration is not required for this event series and you’re welcome to drop in without registering.

The group will meet the third Monday of each month, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

• Join Merry Lea for our first ever Vegetable and Native Plant Swap in partnership with Indiana Native Plant Society (INPS). Pot up your extra plants and join other growers and plant enthusiasts to trade them. Don’t have a plant to swap? We’ve got you covered! Everyone who attends will be able to participate. This is a great event to meet other plant enthusiasts in the community, learn about new plants, and of course take home a new plant!

The group will meet on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. There is no cost.

• Free Nature Play Day is a family-friendly event designed to get people outside, as part of a statewide effort by Indiana Children and Nature Network (ICAN) Nature Play Days! There will be a variety of guided and self-guided activities to choose from all afternoon. Dip for tadpoles, create a craft, go on a hike, work on a scavenger hunt and so much more.

Play day is on Thursday, June 4, from 1-4 p.m.

• Navigating Nature Family Program participants will learn about natural navigation techniques that can be used to navigate our environment along with maps, compasses and other primary means of navigation. This will include learning about clues offered by land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals and weather. After discussing certain techniques, the group will go on a hike and observe our surroundings and utilize these techniques.

The program is Saturday, July 11, from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $7 per adult and $5 per child.