The Willows Earth Education Center

 The Willows is a community nature center offering experiential learning programs with a focus on ecology education, living history,the domestic arts, and community service.

The Willows Earth Education Center is an extension of the The Chatfield School, which is on a beautiful ten-acre site adjacent to a large tract of city owned nature park and open space. The proximity to these natural areas and the diverse habitats they contain, make the Willow's location unique, and demonstrate the potential for urban areas to contain vital, productive ecosystems. This remarkable site is within the city limits, yet there is room for deer, coyote, and fox to move about. A series of ponds are rest stops for migratory birds. A short hike can reach a beaver dam, a forest floor covered with wildflowers, or a prairie managed by prescribed burning. Since 2000, Willows programs have utilized nearby wild places as outdoor classrooms, immersing traditional science and social studies concepts in a real world context.

After years of planning, the construction of the Willows building (started in June of 07) will enhance the rich learning environment that already exists. There is a curriculum in applied ecology found within the building design. The Willows will model the efficiency of renewable energy sources such as the wind and sun to inform visitors of energy and resource use. Participants can extend their ecological imagination by experiencing straw bale construction, earthen plasters, a living roof, passive solar orientation, and landscaping that incorporates permaculture. Each design element is a deliberate demonstration of our ability to build and live in a balanced relationship with the earth.

Click here for a virtual tour.