Please Donate To The Lawrence Nature Center
If you, or your company, would like to donate to the LNC, please fill out this form.
How can you help the Lawrence Nature Center grow?
The LNC is actively campaigning to raise funds for the following needs:
- Hire a full time staff person to run programming for the township. Currently, all programming is lead by volunteers.
- Repair damaged, impassable trails
- Provide furnishings, supplies, signage, and learning tools for the center
- Assist in completing the renovation of the Rinck House into a community environmental resource building.
Why is the Lawrence Nature Center special?
The LNC is special because it provides place-based learning and a "backyard ecology" setting in a densely populated section of Mercer County, reminding students that they don't need to travel far in order to experience nature.
We have already seen a significant need and interest for a nature center in the township. For the past three years, using volunteer labor and funds from the Township, we have hosted summer and autumn programs, family events, two Earth Day festivals, and guided nature hikes. These programs have had significant attendance; for example, our 2006 evening summer series of family programs (which included talks on bats, fossils, and meadow ecology to name a few) consistently had approximately 25 to 40 children and adults attend each week.
We have also met with local school officials, including the Superintendent of the Lawrence School District, and their interest and support has been extremely positive. These representatives are eager to enhance their environmental, science, and biology curriculum through programming at the LNC.
There are approximately 20 schools located in Lawrence Township (nursery through university level). Our current goal is to develop educational programs that will enhance the ecology and environmental education curricula of area schools.
The Rinck House will be renovated into a Resource Center, including a library, meeting spaces, and outdoor patio overlooking the meadow.
Some of the Drexel Woods trails become impassable due to mud and damaging ATV traffic, especially after heavy rains. Funds are needed to repair, develop signage, and maintain these trails.
Children from the Lawrence Township summer program learn about trees.
Learning about bats, meteors, trees, fossils, and much more, family programming in Summer 2006 was a great way to spend summer evenings.
This site is sponsored by The Township of Lawrence. For webpage comments or questions,
please contact Steve Groeger. Web site design by Monica Zhou and Castle Haven.