The Brown Family Environmental Center

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The Brown Family Environmental Center The BFEC at Kenyon College is a 700-acre nature preserve offering programs, events, trails, and more

The BFEC is located at 9781 Laymon Road in Gambier, Ohio as part of the Kenyon College campus. On the BFEC's nine miles of trail, visitors can experience the serene waters of the Kokosing River, towering grasses in our prairie, a spring chorus of frogs in our wetlands or the cool canopy of our beech-maple forests. Visitors looking for relaxation can enjoy picnic tables next to the center or our wildlife garden, which features over sixty species of native plants and the many butterflies and birds they attract. The BFEC offers regular programs that are usually free and open to the public, on topics such as wildflowers, star gazing, nature art or medicinal plants. While programs offer opportunities for informal education, the BFEC also offers a novel resource to Kenyon College classes ranging from art to zoology, an opportunity to view nature through a new lens. English classes seek inspiration for haiku poems, while photography classes hone new techniques. Science students conduct research on topics such as bird foraging, bluebird nesting habits or the impacts of invasive species on forests. Both Kenyon College students and community members volunteer to bring 1,000 elementary school children to the BFEC on field trips every year. Vocabulary words like "adaption" and "food web" take on new meaning as children see these concepts in action while exploring our preserve and catching tadpoles.

It's TOMORROW! Come visit!
10/16/2026

It's TOMORROW! Come visit!

It's finally here! Our annual Fall Harvest Festival is THIS Saturday noon until 4--please join us for the fun!
10/12/2026

It's finally here! Our annual Fall Harvest Festival is THIS Saturday noon until 4--please join us for the fun!

Maybe you should try Reiki...here at the BFEC...tomorrow evening...enjoy!
10/07/2026

Maybe you should try Reiki...here at the BFEC...tomorrow evening...enjoy!

Knitting/Crocheting for a cause-please join us!
10/06/2026

Knitting/Crocheting for a cause-please join us!

10/05/2026
Hope you can join us this Saturday for our next Family Nature Quest: All About Bats!
10/05/2026

Hope you can join us this Saturday for our next Family Nature Quest: All About Bats!

Our apologies but there is no reiki tonight.
10/01/2026

Our apologies but there is no reiki tonight.

What a fun and successful time here at the BFEC last night making fiber coil baskets with Victoria Hoefler!
09/25/2026

What a fun and successful time here at the BFEC last night making fiber coil baskets with Victoria Hoefler!

Please join us on Sunday for our next Family Nature Quest on Monarch Butterflies!Family Nature Quest: Marvelous Migrati...
09/24/2026

Please join us on Sunday for our next Family Nature Quest on Monarch Butterflies!

Family Nature Quest: Marvelous Migrating Monarchs
September 27, 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Stop by the BFEC to see our monarch butterflies before they fly away! Drop in to learn all about monarchs: their life cycles, their favorite flowers, and their impressive flight across a continent. Explore our self-guided Monarch Trail and use our nets to find, catch, and release butterflies in our gardens. Meet at the picnic shelter.

We're still hosting yoga this morning (inside) Come on down!(11:00 am at the resource center)
09/21/2026

We're still hosting yoga this morning (inside) Come on down!
(11:00 am at the resource center)

Address

9781 Laymon Road
Gambier, OH
43022

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+17404275053

Website

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