Merry Lea Nature Preserve

Why You Should Visit
Only 3 percent of Indiana's natural wetland is left in northereastern Indiana with Merry Lea being one of them. The Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center allows its visitors to see what used to cover about 24 percent of Indiana hundreds of years ago.

Location
Noble & Whitley Counties

Ecoregion
North Central Tillplain

Size
1,150 Acres

Dedicated
State Nature Preserve, 1980

Owned & Managed By
Goshen College

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The easy terrain and developed trails make for a pleasant hike through the preserve.

Directions
From Columbia City, travel north on S.R. 109 to C.R. 350 South, turn left (west). Travel roughly one mile turning north on C.R. 500 West. Continue for 0.5 mile to the entrance. The preserve is part of the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. Please check in at the Nature Center upon your arrival.

What to See: Plants and Animals
The habitats found at Merry Lea are various, including most found in Northeastern Indiana. Prairies meet marshes, swamps lead to forests and open meadow stretch into wetlands. The diversity of ecosystems provide habitat for 170 species of birds, 32 fish, 28 mammals and 17 amphibians. Some of the species that may be spotted are: pileated woodpecker, great horned owl, muskrat, big brown bat, gray fox, blue-spotted salamander, western chorus frogs, blue racer and the endangered Blanding's turtle.

What the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is Doing
In order to preserve the restoration already done to Merry Lea, management practices include wetland maintenance, wildlife habitat improvement, wildlife food plantings, no-till farming and walnut culture.

For More Information
Goshen College's Merry Lea Preserve
or Goshen College (260) 799-5869