AmeriCorps Completes Service Project
Americorps team leaves its mark During a six-week service project, the AmeriCorps team made a profound impact on the land preserved by Indian Creek Nature Center.
Sustainable Holiday Tips
Holidays with less waste The holiday season brings good cheer, fun festivities, cherished memories, and usually lots of trash heading to the landfill. According to Stanford Researchers, between Thanksgiving to […]
Leave the Leaves
The Beauty of Fallen Leaves Every Fall, as trees turn shades of orange, red, yellow, and brown, the beautiful array of colors offer mesmerizing views. Then, the leaves fall. Somehow, […]
How to Plant a Tree in Iowa
Being a Tree Steward Thank you for taking a vested interest in your young tree! With proper planting and care, this dynamic, living being should outlast the concrete sidewalks, the […]
How to Identify Invasive Plants
What are Invasive Plant Species? I am Lexie Wiedenheft (pictured above). I’m a Girl Scout in Colorado and when I was ready to select a Gold Award project (the highest […]
A Deeper Dive into Monarch Fest
2025 was Indian Creek Nature Center’s 10th annual Monarch Fest, and with over 1600 people, the largest one to date. Having the Iowa Children’s Museum present, caterpillar adoptions, native plant […]
Pollinator Plant Care
Learn more about caring for these plants by selecting the arrow next to the plant’s name. Aster, Aromatic Aromatic Aster; symphyotrichum oblongifolium Sun Exposure; Full/part Soil Moisture: Medium dry; dry […]
Acknowledging & Combating Waste at Maple Syrup Festival
Several years ago Indian Creek Nature Center began its journey to zero-waste. The Maple Syrup Festival was our flagship event where we implemented a diverse number of strategies to eliminate, […]
New Bike Ride Pedals Sustainable Farming
The grass was still wet with dew that morning when Ben Watson, Project Manager at Climate Engineers, stepped out of his car to visit Etzel Sugar Grove Farm for the […]
Support Outdoor Education Before School Starts
2025 Creekside Forest School Fundraiser The preschoolers (ages three to five) at Creekside Forest School (CFS) spend more than 80% of their classroom time outdoors. Spending long stretches of time […]
Reflecting on Derecho
Warning sirens sounded across Linn County on August 10, 2020 as a rare derecho wind storm approached Cedar Rapids with wind speeds as high as 140 miles per hour. The […]
IFF Volunteers Not Afraid of a Challenge
You couldn’t even tell there was a small hill behind the Sugar House. It was hidden by a thick wall of Japanese knotweed reaching nearly nine feet tall. This highly […]