Ecosystem Preserve

The 100-acre preserve includes these features:

• 40 trailed acres open to the public to explore (includes mature deciduous forest, 13 ponds and vernal pools, and meadows),
• Buiten Wildlife Sanctuary (60 acres of wildlife refuge with restricted access, used for scientific research),
• Bunker Interpretive Center (used for Calvin University classes and community educational programs).

Over the past 28 years, the preserve has been a valuable resource for:

• An average of 6,000 visitors who enjoy our trails annually,
• Nearly 20 Calvin University departments/programs which study here annually,
• More than 500 Calvin students gaining valuable work and research experience as preserve employees,
• Over 23,000 elementary school students learning about plants and animals during our school programs,
• More than 600 children immersing themselves in nature at our Wetlands & Woodlands summer camps since 2000.

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’s belief that it is important to care for God’s creation.

Did You Know?

The Ecosystem Preserve provides habitat for 156 species of native plants, giving it a floristic quality index score of 45. This means its biodiversity makes the preserve a site of statewide significance and irreplaceable with current restoration techniques.

The Ecosystem Preserve encompasses the watershed supplying the headwaters of a local stream, Whiskey Creek, which flows through Calvin's east campus. Whiskey Creek is the source of water for the Seminary Pond and a tributary of Plaster Creek.