Environmental Experiences
The Nina Mason Pulliam (NMP) EcoLab is a 55-acre outdoor environmental education laboratory located on the campus of Marian University. It provides opportunities for students to learn about lowland forest, prairie and wetland ecosystems, wildlife, native and non-native species and water quality.
Environmental Education Programs have been developed with teachers’ needs in mind. Programs can range from a 1 hour expert-led hike, to two hour program including a hike and service project to a four hour program including a hike, service project and Nina Mason Pulliam Nature Center experience. The get-your-hands-dirty service projects may vary amongplanting native plants, removing non-native plants or sowing seeds. The NMP Nature Center Experience includes a take-home nature craft and the teacher's choice of a variety of hands-on inquiry stations. We can also accommodate anything in between and develop programs to address specific teacher-chosen themes. Just Ask!
We Currently Offer the Following Programs:
NEW! What's the Big Deal about Bats?!
Grade Appropriateness: 3rd-8th
Description: Did you know that the bats in the United States are worth an estimated $53 billion? Students will learn what is fact and myth when it comes to bats. As they hike the property they will be engaged in the NMP EcoLab as they collect the same data that scientists do.
NEW! Flow: Can You See the River?
GradeAppropriateness: 5th-12th
Description: FLOW is a city-wide art installation commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It consists of over a 100 markers that bring the importance of the White River to the attention of urban dwellers. The NMP EcoLab hosts several of these markers. Bring your students to investigate the vital role that the White River plays in their every day lives and what we can do to protect it. You can learn more about FLOW: Can You See the River? at http://flowcanyouseetheriver.org/.
EcoLab Junior Explorers
Grade Appropriateness: PreK-5th
Description: Young students will explore the wetlands and its inhabitants through use of a variety of outside exploration tools such as binoculars and magnifiers.
Wetlands, Invasives and Beavers, Oh My!
Grade Appropriateness: PreK-6th
Description: Students will investigate why wetlands matter, the cultural history of the land, invasive species, biodiversity and, of course, the engineers of the wetland - beavers.
Wetland Birds
Grade Appropriateness: 3rd-12th
Description: Students will become ornithologists and walk the wetlands in search of the birds that inhabit them while learning how wetlands play a vital role in the lives of stationary and migratory birds.
It's Easy Being Green!
Grade Appropriateness: 3rd-2th
Description: Students will learn about the importance of wetlands, our restoration efforts and how they too can help the environment.
EcoLab Survivors
Grade Appropriateness: 4th-12th
Description: Students will learn about survival in the wild. Using a variety of tools, students will practice basic wildland first aid, orienteering, simple shelter construction, edible and medicinal plant identification and water purification.
EcoLab Ecologists
Grade Appropriateness: 6th-12th
Description: Students will become the ecologists, themselves, and do a variety of surveys and tests in the NMP EcoLab.
If you have questions or wish to visit the NMP Ecolab, please call our Environmental Education Coordinator, Shannon Unger, at 317.524.7700 or e-mail at sbigham-unger@marian.edu to verify availability. If there is a special program you would like to do in the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab, please let us know. We will make every effort to customize a program for you.
Some outdoor programs can also be conducted at an outdoor facility near your organization. Inquire for details.
Teachers are also very welcome to use the NMP EcoLab on their own. Some teachers have used the area to study water quality, others have done pond studies, and still others have enjoyed learning the ways of the beaver without assistance.