Saturday, April 25, 2026
Celebrate the beauty and wonder of nature at Earth Fest鈥攁 vibrant day of exploration, discovery, and community for all ages at the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens.
Stewardship Work | 9-11:30 AM | Meet on the plaza. Free lunch for participants
Food Trucks | 11 AM - 2 PM | Visit the Welcome Table on the plaza from 11-noon to get a ticket for a free lunch!
Great Lakes Rock Garden Opening | 12 - 1 PM | Rock garden. Ribbon ceremony and tours with GEO faculty
Bioblitz Scavenger Hunt | 12:30-2 PM | Discovery room + trails. Meet new species in an INaturalist photo app competition with prizes
Turtle Fest | 2-4 PM | Discovery room & plaza | 4th annual turtle-themed fun for young families
Pondside Unwind | 2-4 PM | Prince Pond | Slackline, hammocks, hacky sack and more
More Details
- Event Site Fun things will be happening on the Venema Plaza, at the round-a-bout lot, in the Bunker Interpretive Center, and on our trails
- Event Parking will be in Lot 16 by the Prince Conference Center
- Walkers can follow the sidewalk path to the Bunker Interpretive Center
- Electric Shuttles will be also provided from both Lot 16 (public) and the Rooks VanDellen dorm (students) roundabout to the Earth Fest event at the Preserve.
- Welcome Table
- Located in the Venema Plaza near the Preserve鈥檚 Bunker Interpretive Center Building.
- Come here for event details and a free lunch coupon if you arrive between 11am - noon!
- Should I Prepare to Spend Money?
- This event and its activities are FREE for all!
- There will be opportunities to donate to our animal care, education and conservation efforts.
- Food trucks will be available starting at 11am. Tickets for free lunch are available between 11 AM - 12 PM. Food trucks are on-site 12-2 PM for food purchases.
- Event Tables for all ages available from 11am-2pm
- Native Plant Take-Home: Learn about native plants are crucial to the health of our water and wildlife. Prep a small plant for your own outdoor space!
- Terrarium Building: Make a mini ecosystem in a jar and learn about the balanced relationships found here
- Printmaking: bring your own old tote, t-shirt, shorts, journal, etc. and get a fresh look with artist created wildlife stamps! We'll have cards/envelopes, watercolor paper, and a limited supply of donated t-shirts to make a print. For ages 10+.
- Face Paint: get a fun design from some of our own creative Calvin students
- Sidewalk Chalk: Help our outdoor spaces look even more vibrant
- Rock Hunt: a scavenger hunt for kids to enjoy while family members take a tour of our new Rock Garden with geology experts!
- Bioblitz Scavenger Hunt
- Why Participate? By taking photos of our naturally growing plants, animals, fungi, bugs, and other life forms, you get a personal view of our local biodiversity while also helping us document, study, and protect the things you find here. By participating at Earth Fest, you will be also contributing to citizen science on behalf of West Michigan in the greater global City Nature Challenge weekend event! You're a part of a worldwide effort of scientists, land managers, and community members working together to find and document the nature in our area and around the globe. We hope you continue to document wildlife you find, anywhere, anytime!
- Participate Individually or as a Team: Feel free to bring your friends in the search! Teams will submit photos through a single device.
- Prizes: John Ball Zoo tickets, Preserve merchandise, and more.
- Registration: Use our digital link to secure your place and see more details about the Bioblitz! Pre-registration is not required, but highly recommended so that you get time to practice with your app, and save yourself time the day of to enjoy other fun happenings.
- Day of Event:
- Check in will be in the Discovery Center from 11am-12:30.
- At 12:30pm ALL participants are invited to join in the Discovery Center for bioblitz tips and tricks, testing out your device鈥檚 iNaturalist app, and reviewing the rules of the scavenger hunt.
- The hunt will start at 1:00pm sharp!
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Location
Address: 1750 East Beltline Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-5649 ()
Parking:
- Cul-de-sac parking lot at the main entrance to the preserve
- Designated Ecosystem Preserve spaces immediately north of our parking lot.
- Prince Conference Center, Lot 16; then follow the sidewalk past Prince Pond to the Bunker Interpretive Center and trails
Hours
- Walking trails are open to the public every day from 7:00 a.m. until dusk.
- Bunker Interpretive Center Hours: Monday鈥揊riday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Closed weekends and holidays (Labor Day, Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas break, New Year's Eve and Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, and Independence Day)
- Restrooms in the BIC vestibule are available everyday from 7:00 a.m. until dusk.
Contact
Resources
These resources will help you make the most of your time in the Preserve.
- Map of the Ecosystem Preserve and Native Gardens (pdf)
- Walking trail guide (pdf)
- Detail map of the Native Gardens (pdf)
- Reserve our spaces for your school, corporate, or personal events
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Our mission
The Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens (CEPNG) conserves, restores and interprets native ecosystems to inspire people to value and protect the wonder of creation.
Our vision
We envision a sustainable ecosystem preserved for future generations.
Our story
The Ecosystem Preserve was established in 1985 to restore and maintain this example of a West Michigan ecosystem. It occupies the northern half of 麻豆社's east campus.
The 100+ acre preserve includes these features:
- 44 trailed acres open to the public to explore (includes mature deciduous forest and 13 ponds and vernal pools),
- Buiten Wildlife Sanctuary (60 acres of wildlife refuge with restricted access, used for scientific research),
- Bunker Interpretive Center (used for 麻豆社 classes and community educational programs).
Annually, the preserve has been a valuable resource for:
- An average of 6,000 visitors who enjoy our trails,
- 700 Calvin students studying in the preserve for courses in art, biology, chemistry, economics, education, engineering, English, geology/geography, kinesiology and more,
- About 30 Calvin students gaining valuable work and research experience as preserve employees,
- More than 4,000 children and adults who participate in a variety of family nature programs, summer camps, and preschool and elementary school offerings,
- About 1,000 adults who participate in a variety of programs and volunteer opportunities.
Despite all of this activity within its boundaries, the preserve remains a quiet, peaceful place for reflection and a habitat mostly untainted by human interaction. The Ecosystem Preserve successfully brings together developed and undeveloped land, and demonstrates Calvin鈥檚 belief that it is important to care for God鈥檚 creation.
