Pierce Cedar Creek Institute

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute is a nature center, environmental education center, and biological field station located on 850 acres with almost ten miles of hiking trails. It is about 10 miles south of Hastings, Michigan. The Institute’s mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of our environment. Visitors will experience the beauty of the property’s wetlands, forests, marshes, streams, lakes, and prairies. The hiking trails are open daily from dawn to dusk with experiences such as the Storybook walk on the Black Walnut Trail, the Play Space for children, the Visitor Center features the Nature Nook, a special space for children and their families, as well as the terrace, which extends from the Visitor Center south side parking lot around the back of the building. There are many opportunities to relax, meet with family and friends, and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute provides natural areas, laboratory space, and housing to facilitate scientific research, visual art and creative writing projects, and natural resource management. The Institute annually awards grants to consortium college and university students to complete creative and research projects over the summer.