Earth Discovery Center
Hours
Monday–Saturday, 10am–5pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm
Free with park admission
Links
School Field Trips
Building Rental
Trail Map
Tree Map
Facility Layout
5901 Delong Road Indianapolis, IN 46254
317.327.7148
The old original nature center, now known as the Ornithology Center, attracted around 40,000 guests per year, and only had the capacity to hold one classroom of students. Now, the larger building caters to over 80,000 annual visitors – 6,000 who are students on field trips learning more about the natural world.
As soon as you walk in, it’s very likely you’ll be greeted by some sort of creature! That might be a snail, or during the summertime, you can even catch the morphing of a caterpillar into a monarch butterfly right at the front desk. Inside the center you’ll find a beehive, exhibits of the American toad and grey tree frog, leaf collections and plant displays, nature-based artwork for sale, and much more. When you venture outside, you can take in a beautiful view of the reservoir out on the deck, or hop on the nearby hiking trails.
Throughout the year, naturalists host around 130 nature-based programs, which are open to the public. These interactive classes are designed for all ages and include activities like owl-gazing, nature hikes or building of habitats, to name a few.
Weekly Activities
Feeding Time
Sundays, 1:30pm Currently on Hold
Watch as the park’s educational reptiles, amphibians and other critters enjoy their lunch! You’ll learn some natural history about each animal along the way. On the menu: worms, defrosted mice, salad, crickets, and frozen bloodworms.
Nature Discovery Class
Saturdays, 1:30pm Currently on Hold
Stop by on the weekend for a fun activity at the Earth Discovery Center! Topic vary – possible activities include nature hikes, insects, pond life, simple crafts and more! Free with park admission
Plan A Field Trip
Call for available times
We have various options for unique learning activities. Please call us
Building Features
Geothermal Pond
Classrooms
Exhibit Hall
Meet the Naturalists
Earth Discovery Center Manager
Dawn is an Indianapolis native who started working at Eagle Creek Park as a seasonal naturalist back in 1994. She attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts where she majored in biology and minored in studio art. She then moved on to complete graduate work in wildlife science with Purdue University’s Department of Forestry before coming back to work full-time at Eagle Creek Park.
Her favorite things about the park include the amazing diversity of park visitors, the small, hidden vernal pools teeming with fairy shrimp and baby salamanders in the spring, and the sound of loons (the bird kind) calling on the reservoir. She specializes in amphibians and reptiles, bugs and aquatic invertebrates, growing native plants for butterfly gardening, and loves answering weird questions about Indiana wildlife.
She is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and shares her home with six fish, five orphaned baby opossums, three cats, three orphaned raccoons, three orphaned baby squirrels, one yellow-bellied slider, and one rescued domestic rabbit.
Naturalist
Leah grew up in North Carolina where she attended North Carolina State University, and graduated with a degree in natural resources-ecosystem assessment. After graduating, she was hired as an outdoor environmental educator with the Flat Rock River YMCA in St. Paul, Indiana. She learned to teach children to love nature while exploring the outdoors, and has been doing so ever since.
She enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, identifying insects, and nature photography. As her boss describes, “Leah is awesome and likes to pin dead insects when she isn’t teaching archery or writing environmental education curricula.”
Naturalist
Jake grew up in Columbus, Indiana and graduated from Indiana University’s School of Public & Environmental Affairs in 2004, majoring in environmental management. Since then, he’s conducted stream surveys throughout the state for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and assisted The Nature Conservancy with land stewardship at Kankakee Sands in northwest Indiana, and also at Pine Butte Swamp Preserve in Montana. Additionally, he’s worked as an environmental scientist with URS Corporation.
In 2009, he started as a naturalist with Indy Parks, and loves getting to work in the beautiful setting of Eagle Creek Park. Summer day camps are his favorite part of his job as he gets to spend the days outside going hiking, canoeing, creek stomping, and fishing. He enjoys hitting the trails after work to try and spot wildlife, and see all of the seasonal changes taking place in the forest.
Naturalist
Jennifer relocated to Indianapolis from Columbus, Ohio where she completed a degree in zoology, with minors in natural resources and physical anthropology. Most of her studies and positions have revolved around her love for animals.
She has worked as a topical butterfly keeper at the Franklin Park Conservatory and White River Gardens, along with the avian collection at the Indianapolis Zoo. Through a city-awarded USFWS grant, she was able to work on projects aimed at connecting residents to birding, one of her favorite activities. She also works with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as an interpreter in their paleontology and archaeology exhibits.
Jennifer’s hobbies of birding, wildflower identification, gardening, hiking, and kayaking make Eagle Creek Park her favorite place to work and play. She loves caring for animals at the nature center and working on displays about topics within the park. Teaching families and school groups to explore and connect with nature makes being a naturalist the most rewarding job she could imagine.
Earth Discovery Center Manager
Dawn is an Indianapolis native who started working at Eagle Creek Park as a seasonal naturalist back in 1994. She attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts where she majored in biology and minored in studio art. She then moved on to complete graduate work in wildlife science with Purdue University’s Department of Forestry before coming back to work full-time at Eagle Creek Park.
Her favorite things about the park include the amazing diversity of park visitors, the small, hidden vernal pools teeming with fairy shrimp and baby salamanders in the spring, and the sound of loons (the bird kind) calling on the reservoir. She specializes in amphibians and reptiles, bugs and aquatic invertebrates, growing native plants for butterfly gardening, and loves answering weird questions about Indiana wildlife.
She is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and shares her home with six fish, five orphaned baby opossums, three cats, three orphaned raccoons, three orphaned baby squirrels, one yellow-bellied slider, and one rescued domestic rabbit.
Naturalist
Leah grew up in North Carolina where she attended North Carolina State University, and graduated with a degree in natural resources-ecosystem assessment. After graduating, she was hired as an outdoor environmental educator with the Flat Rock River YMCA in St. Paul, Indiana. She learned to teach children to love nature while exploring the outdoors, and has been doing so ever since.
She enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, identifying insects, and nature photography. As her boss describes, “Leah is awesome and likes to pin dead insects when she isn’t teaching archery or writing environmental education curricula.”
Naturalist
Jake grew up in Columbus, Indiana and graduated from Indiana University’s School of Public & Environmental Affairs in 2004, majoring in environmental management. Since then, he’s conducted stream surveys throughout the state for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and assisted The Nature Conservancy with land stewardship at Kankakee Sands in northwest Indiana, and also at Pine Butte Swamp Preserve in Montana. Additionally, he’s worked as an environmental scientist with URS Corporation.
In 2009, he started as a naturalist with Indy Parks, and loves getting to work in the beautiful setting of Eagle Creek Park. Summer day camps are his favorite part of his job as he gets to spend the days outside going hiking, canoeing, creek stomping, and fishing. He enjoys hitting the trails after work to try and spot wildlife, and see all of the seasonal changes taking place in the forest.
Naturalist
Jennifer relocated to Indianapolis from Columbus, Ohio where she completed a degree in zoology, with minors in natural resources and physical anthropology. Most of her studies and positions have revolved around her love for animals.
She has worked as a topical butterfly keeper at the Franklin Park Conservatory and White River Gardens, along with the avian collection at the Indianapolis Zoo. Through a city-awarded USFWS grant, she was able to work on projects aimed at connecting residents to birding, one of her favorite activities. She also works with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as an interpreter in their paleontology and archaeology exhibits.
Jennifer’s hobbies of birding, wildflower identification, gardening, hiking, and kayaking make Eagle Creek Park her favorite place to work and play. She loves caring for animals at the nature center and working on displays about topics within the park. Teaching families and school groups to explore and connect with nature makes being a naturalist the most rewarding job she could imagine.
Key Contributors to the
Earth Discovery Center
The EDC would like to thank the following generous contributors:
“We find that a lot of kids are really scared of nature — they come here and think they’re going into the jungle! We want them to take a walk in the park and realize that there is nothing dangerous out there. They might find some of these creatures in their own backyard, but they’re harmless and fun to learn about.”
Eco-Friendly Building
The Earth Discovery Center was built with the following environmentally friendly features:
- Geothermal heating and cooling that utilizes local groundwater
- Photocell outdoor lighting
- Native, wildlife-friendly landscaping
- Carpet made of recycled material
- Eco-friendly bathrooms with motion sensor lighting, faucets, and hand dryers, as well as low-volume toilets
- Revolving front door that helps keep cooled or heated air inside
- Built on the site of the old ranger station (using previously disturbed land means fewer habitats affected and less land cleared)
- Bike racks
- Furniture made of recycled plastic
- Recycling containers for plastic, glass, and paper products
- Bio-swale and swirl tank to clean storm water run-off before returning it to the reservoir