Environmental Interpretive Center | University of Michigan-Dearborn

Who We are:

We are the gateway to the 120-acre Environmental Study Area that is accessible to the university, school groups, and the public.

The EIC building is open from 9:00am - 5:00pm Monday through Friday. The Environmental Study Area is open 7 days, from sunrise to sunset.

Students feel bark of the tree as staff guide leads

Education & Programs

Learn about EIC programs available for K - 12 grades and homeschool programs.

Group of students completing planting of vegetables into garden beds

Community Engagement

Community Organic Garden, D-SHINES, PolliNation Project, Pollinator Photo Contest

Group volunteer to plant garden plots

Get Involved

Volunteer Opportunities, Donations

students take nature hike in the spring along trails

Sustainability

Rain Gardens, and Pollinator Gardens

EIC children's wall

About the EIC

EIC Staff, History, Facility, Maps and Directions, eNewsletter, Affiliated Faculty

Group of three stand in the ESA with buckets and nets.

Environmental Study Area

Outdoor Classroom, Research Projects, Natural Habitats, Habitat Management, Wildlife, For Visitors

Upcoming Events

students stand in field of pail sunflowers and smile at the camera. text overlay reads 2025 stewardship saturday third saturdays monthly 1-4pm at the EIC.

Stewardship Saturdays

event_available Saturday, June 21, 2025

schedule 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

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Nature Photography Walk

2:30 pm -3:30 pm

More Events

EIC News

More News

Naturalist Donna Posont leading a bird walk

Sharing nature’s beauty through touch, smell and sound

National and statewide awards honor EIC staff member and ’15 alum Donna Posont for her work as an inclusive naturalist educator and advocate....

Photo of EIC Natural Areas Manager Rick Simek sitting on the south edge of Fair Lane Lake

Plan a trip to the lake

Take a dip into the history of Fair Lane Lake, along with what you’ll see when hiking around the trails that surround it....

Clara Ford's Rose Garden near the Estate

Intriguing sites just steps from the classroom

Take a stroll back in time — and see a new environmentally friendly addition to the land — when on a campus walk toward the south side of the Rouge Gateway Trail....

2002 alum Phil Tuxbury's children, Ronen (7) and Rebekah Tuxbury (8), looking at the former rose garden on the EIC land in May 2024

Get outdoors and explore

From historic structures to native species plants, Environmental Interpretive Center experts point out a few interesting finds you can see on the campus trails....