50 Stories for 50 Years

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing John and Lynn Weber have been enjoying and supporting Indian Creek Nature Center in a number of ways since they moved to the Cedar…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing After college I was spending a lot of time working and found myself getting burned out. When I had some unplanned time I began…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Ruth and Lester Sendecki have been associated with the Indian Creek Nature Center since the early 1980s. First they became members, then Ruth “somehow”…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing During its 50 years of existence Indian Creek Nature Center has had the privilege of knowing – so far – four generations of the…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing   Our family has lived in Cedar Rapids for quite awhile and had heard about how great Indian Creek Nature Center was, but had…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Julie Stow is Associate Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office with over 30 years experience in the fields of retail, economic development,…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Marissa and Daniel Haas began sending their children to Indian Creek Nature Center’s outdoor immersive educational programs as early as they could. After enrolling…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Phil White has served in innumerable capacities at the Nature Center for more than two decades. With his easy-going, personable presence and enthusiasm, he…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Cheers to 50 years at Indian Creek Nature Center! Our family reflects regularly on the impact the Nature Center has had on our lives.…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing The Hall Family have been a part of Creekside Forest School since its first class in the fall of 2021. They have shared their…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Dorothy “Dot” Hinman has been a part of the Indian Creek Nature Center family since its founding. Over the years she has volunteered in…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Barb Perkinson – Barb Binhammer at the time – first served Indian Creek Nature Center as a volunteer, which segued into a role as…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing WALTER W. “BILL” SCHNEIDER Bill was a member of the Indian Creek Nature Center board of directors from 1973-1978. He was president during the…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing George Schrimper wrote this essay about Indian Creek and the role it played in developing his love of nature for a Write Your Life…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Since opening in Czech Village a few years ago, SOKO Outfitters has been a wonderful supporter of Indian Creek Nature Center.  The one-of-a-kind outdoor…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing When the Nature Center was young, a group of dedicated volunteers who saw value in preserving Cedar Rapids’ new home for environmental education came…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Jane Schildroth has seen the Nature Center from a lot of different angles. Her first involvement was coming out to walk the land and…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Carl Franks volunteered in numerous capacities at the Nature Center beginning in 1974, including as a member of the board of directors from 1974-1981.…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing On May 3, 1980, National Park Service Regional Director J. L. Dunning declared Indian Creek Nature Center a National Environmental Study Area (NESA). According…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Disclaimer: The sustainability practices shared in this post are in no way meant to shame or wag a finger at anyone not replicating these…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing My interest in volunteering with the Indian Creek Nature Center is rooted in my childhood days. There was no nature center back then, but…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Brad Lang served on the ICNC Board of Directors from 2005 – 2012. While growing up, Brad Lang was in effect a neighbor to…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing This piece provides the historical context of renewable energy at Indian Creek Nature Center, which began in the 1980s. Emeritus Director Rich Patterson wrote…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing May Farlinger (left) accepting the Community Supporter Award from ICNC on Alliant’s behalf in 2022. May Farlinger’s 18-year career at Alliant Energy is almost…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Nationally, the Nature Center movement gained tremendous momentum in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Countless day-use nature centers (like ICNC) and residential environmental learning centers…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing This year marks the 40th anniversary of Indian Creek Nature Center’s Maple Syrup Festival. What an incredible — and delicious — milestone! From tapping…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Local ornithologist Neil Bernstein has been bird watching since the 1960s and has also been connected to the Nature Center since the early 1980s.…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Bill Desmarais (right) joined Curt Abdouch (left) in Cedar Rapids after Curt became ICNC’s first Director. If you sit down to talk through memories…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing While the Nature Center has been around for 50 years, few people can say they knew the land before that.  Gordon and Nancy Bena,…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Jean O’Donnell founded Indian Creek Nature Center, along with her friend BB Stamats, to create a home for environmental education in Cedar Rapids. Michael…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Mary has served many roles at ICNC including artist-in-residence. I have been involved with the Nature Center for over 40 years, but one memory…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing If you’ve enjoyed the land or programs at Indian Creek Nature Center at any point over the last 50 years, you have B.B Stamats…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Rich Patterson served as Director of Indian Creek Nature Center for 36 years. BB Stamats and Jean O’Donnell were visionaries who brought the nature…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Jan Aiels has a rich history with Indian Creek Nature Center. She served as an educator for ICNC for 24 years, during which she…

50 Stories for 50 Years is presented by New Leader Manufacturing Joyce Fleming (seated front and center in the image above) has served the Indian Creek Nature Center in various capacities for decades, beginning in…