Indian Creek Nature Center

Preschool Trail Trekkers: Rabbits & Rodents
2025-04-12 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Find out interesting facts about these backyard creatures and what helps them survive in the wild. What makes their teeth so special? Act out the many ways a squirrel can use its tail. For preschoolers with adult. Dress for outdoor activities.
Fees: $5 preschooler (ages 3-5), free for ages 2 and under, adults free.
Registration Deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/trail-trekkers/
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Nature Merit Badge
2025-04-12 13:00 - 16:00
Scouts will attempt requirements 1-3, 4a1, 4b, 4c and 4e at the workshop. Scouts are responsible for one other requirement from 4 (d, f, g or h) and 4a2 on their own.
Fees: $12 per scout. Scout leaders free (limit 2 per group), $5 per adult
Registration deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/scouts/cub-scout-bsa-workshops/
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Weave a Willow Tower Trellis
2025-04-13 09:00 - 17:00
Join this hands-on willow weaving class with Mary Kopecky, an experienced willow artist and retired teacher, and leave with a willow tower trellis.
A willow tower is a beautiful addition to your garden. Use it to trellis pole beans or clematis, or leave it plain for architectural interest.
Participants will weave a tower that has an approximately 27 inch radius and can be 5 to 7 feet tall.
Participants must be able to crawl on the floor, get up and down easily, and work sitting on the floor. This project requires good hand, arm, wrist and finger strength.
WHAT TO BRING: Bring loppers, hand pruners, a hammer and a pad to sit on if you need it. Wear old work clothes and remove jewelry. Bring lunch, snacks and a beverage for the day.
Cost: $120 Nonmembers; $100 Members
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Sac and Fox 50th Anniversary Walk
2025-04-13 14:00 - 15:00
Bring your bicycle or walking shoes and join us for a celebration of the 50th anniversary since the Sac and Fox was designated Iowa’s First National Recreation Trail. We’ll walk to the trail and share a brief history of its creation. Rich Patterson will lead a short trail walk and anyone is invited to enjoy the trail on their own.
Rich Patterson, former Indian Creek Nature Center director, will be joined by Cedar Rapids Council Member Dale Todd and Tom Peffer of the Linn County Trails Association who will share how public and private interests combined to create a trail enjoyed by Eastern Iowas for five decades and counting.
This event is Free! Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.
Meet at the Nature Center Barn (6665 Otis Rd SE)
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Fresh Air After School (April session)
2025-04-15 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-16 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-17 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-22 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-23 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-24 16:15 - 18:00
Fresh Air After School at Indian Creek Nature Center is a drop-off immersive nature experience. Children will go on learning adventures with experienced ICNC educators. Educators will develop seasonally appropriate themes, but the children will determine the specifics of their time at the Nature Center. Children will spend ample time outdoors exploring and learning at the Nature Center’s 200-acre classroom. Programs will be outdoors in all weather and families should dress their children for the conditions. Indoor alternatives are available if the weather is inclement or dangerous.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Dates: April 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 12, 23, 24)
Drop off / Pick up Times: 3:45-4:15pm and 6:00-6:15pm
$210 Member, $255 Non-Members
Pre-registration required
Register

IN PERSON Backyard Chickens Workshop
2025-04-15 17:30 - 19:00, 2025-05-06 17:30 - 19:00
Learn the basic information you need to raise hens in urban and suburban areas during class. Participants will receive a certificate of completion, enabling them to get a permit to legally keep chickens in Cedar Rapids and other communities. ​This class is geared towards adults.
Please note: If your registration contains multiple participants, a certificate will only be issued to the purchaser (one certificate per household). The purchaser must be present at the class to receive the certificate.
$15 Members $20 Nonmembers
Pre-registration is required for this program. We cannot accept walk-in participants.
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Farm to Table Dinner featuring Lion Bridge Brewing Company
2025-04-17 18:00 - 21:00
Spring is the in the air … and you can almost taste it!
Asparagus. Snap peas. Garlic. Carrot. Hazelnut. The flavors of freshly harvested spring produce will add a seasonal flair to the dishes prepared by Lion Bridge Brewing Company, the featured restaurant, at Indian Creek Nature Center’s next Farm to Table Dinner on April 17th.
While Lion Bridge is famous for their award-winning beer (which will be on tap) their kitchen crew has been crafting artisan dishes with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients for more than 10 years that match the excellence of their beers.
Lion Bridge always brings good vibes and great dishes every time their culinary crew walks into the Nature Center kitchen. Grab your tickets and join us for a fun, relaxing evening that may turn out to be one of the biggest farm to table dinners yet at Indian Creek Nature Center.
See the full menu and other details about this farm to table dinner at indiancreeknaturecenter.org/farm-to-table-dinner.
Get Tickets

Farm to Table Dinner featuring Big Grove Brewery
2025-04-17 18:00 - 21:00
Join us this summer for a Farm to Table Dinner with featured restaurant Big Grove Brewery. Every Farm to Table Dinner brings the flavors of the season to life with local produce prepared by a local chef to create a unique dining experience with the beautiful prairie at Indian Creek Nature Center as the backdrop to your memorable evening.
See the full menu and other details about this farm to table dinner at indiancreeknaturecenter.org/farm-to-table-dinner.
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Girl Scout Juniors: Geocacher
2025-04-19 09:30 - 11:30
Come to a geocaching event to learn how the Global Positioning System (GPS) works. Learn to enter waypoints in a GPS receiver and find a geocache! Bring your own GPS unit or borrow one of the Nature Center’s units. This completes most of the Geocache badge.
Fees: $10 per scout, Scout leaders free (limit 2 per group), $5 per adult
Registration deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/scouts/girl-scout-workshops/
Register

Girl Scout Daisies: Nature Senses and Art
2025-04-19 13:00 - 15:00
Your senses come alive in nature! Come participate in an exciting nature scavenger hunt, listen to nature sounds, sniff out some interesting smells, and feel the different textures found around the Nature Center. We’ll have a snack to explore our taste buds and make nature inspired art creations. Activities from this workshop may be applied towards parts of the Between Earth and Sky Journey and/or the Outdoor Art Badge.
Fees: $10 per scout, Scout leaders free (limit 2 per group), $5 per adult
Registration deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/scouts/girl-scout-workshops/
Register

In-Service Camp: Out of This World (Solar System)
2025-04-21 09:00 - 15:00
Make the most out of your child’s day off school!**
Send them to the “Out of This World (Solar System)” In-Service Day Camp at ICNC. Students will have fun exploring differences between planets and participating in different solar system activities.
Please send a sack lunch and snack and dress kids for indoor and outdoor play. This program is available for all K-5th grade students, with a maximum of 12 students.
**Please check your school’s calendar to see if this is an in-service day for your child.
9:00 AM-3:00 PM (drop off: 8:45-9AM, pickup: 3-3:15PM)
M $55; NM $75
Pre-registration is required for this program. We cannot accept walk-in participants. Thank you!
Register

Hike it Baby!
2025-04-21 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-05-05 10:30 - 11:30
Parents and their children from birth to school age are invited to join the Cedar Rapids Hike It Baby chapter for a family-friendly hike at the Nature Center!
Hike It Baby is a national non-profit organization that offers new parents an opportunity to connect and get into nature with their young children. Dress appropriately for the weather, as we will be outdoors for the full hour. Baby carriers and all-terrain strollers are welcome, but strollers are not suitable for all trails.
Feel free to pack a lunch to enjoy with the group on the Patio afterwards!
Free for Hike It Baby members, $5 per adult for non-members. All children are free. Pre-registration is required.
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Aldo Leopold, the Land Ethic, and A Sand County Almanac: The makings of a movement
2025-04-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Indian Creek Nature Center, 5300 Otis Road SE, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52403-7134, United States
Spend your Arbor Day honoring and being inspired by the legacy of Aldo Leopold. While Aldo Leopold’s impact on the conservation movement is broad and deep, he is mostly known as the author of the classic A Sand County Almanac. Having just celebrated it’s 75th anniversary last year, A Sand County Almanac has been translated into sixteen languages and serves as one of the foundational texts for anyone that cares about people and places.
Jennifer Sterling, Programs Manager at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will provide a quick biographical sketch of Aldo Leopold and then focus on the people and events that that have kept A Sand County Almanac and the call for a Land Ethic as relevant as ever.
Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. $10/member; $12/nonmember
Click HERE to watch GreenFire, the Emmy winning documentary, for a full biographical profile of Leopold for free!
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Bird Banding at the Barn
2025-04-26 09:00 - 11:30
Join ornithologist Dr. Neil Bernstein for a special bird banding program. Be our guest and drop in at Penningroth Barn (6665 Otis Rd) anytime to watch Dr. Bernstein net, band, and release birds from Nature Center property. You’ll get a chance to see the equipment he uses, observe the banding process, and learn about the importance of banding. You’ll also get an up close look at the birds!
Children and families are welcome to join in on the fun. Banding is a weather-dependent activity. This program is free and open to the public; free will donations to the Nature Center are welcome. FREE
All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Girl Scouts: Citizen Science Sampler
2025-04-26 09:30 - 11:30
Daisies, Brownies and Juniors: Learn about what scientists do and see how you can do science in your own backyards and communities by participating in a sampler of citizen science projects. Go on a hike to observe the phenology of the seasons, observe and record bird sightings or help us monitor water quality.
Fees: $10 per scout, Scout leaders free (limit 2 per group), $5 per adult
Registration deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/scouts/girl-scout-workshops/
Register

Fresh Air After School (May session)
2025-04-29 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-04-30 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-05-01 16:15 - 18:00, 2025-05-06 16:15 - 18:00
Fresh Air After School at Indian Creek Nature Center is a drop-off immersive nature experience. Children will go on learning adventures with experienced ICNC educators. Educators will develop seasonally appropriate themes, but the children will determine the specifics of their time at the Nature Center. Children will spend ample time outdoors exploring and learning at the Nature Center’s 200-acre classroom. Programs will be outdoors in all weather and families should dress their children for the conditions. Indoor alternatives are available if the weather is inclement or dangerous.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Dates: April 29, 30, May 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22).
Drop off / Pick up Times: 3:45-4:15pm and 6:00-6:15pm
$210 Member, $255 Non-Members
Pre-registration required
Register

In-Service Camp: REAL birds
2025-05-02 09:00 - 15:00
Make the most out of your child’s day off school!**
Send them to Indian Creek Nature Center’s “REAL Bird” In-Service Day Camp. Students will have a chance to see a couple of live birds up close and enjoy bird activities and games.
Please send a sack lunch and snack and dress kids for indoor and outdoor play. This program is available for all K-5th grade students, with a maximum of 12 students.
**Please check your school’s calendar to see if this is an in-service day for your child.
9:00 AM-3:00 PM (drop off: 8:45-9AM, pickup: 3-3:15PM)
M $55; NM $75
Pre-registration is required for this program. We cannot accept walk-in participants. Thank you!
Register

Spring Plant & Art Sale
2025-05-03 09:00 - 12:00
Grab everything you need to prepare your yard and garden for the growing season with beautiful wildflowers, hostas, vegetable starters, milkweed, perennials, native prairie plants and gardening supplies at the annual Spring Plant & Art Sale.

More than a dozen local vendors will be at the Nature Center selling nature-inspired art, handcrafted yard decor, seedlings, vegetable starters, flowers and more.

Bonus! The Linn County Master Gardeners will be on site to share their gardening expertise and answer your questions.

The Spring Plant and Art Sale is one of two annual fundraising events benefiting Indian Creek Nature Center put on by the Friends of the Nature Center group, along with Nature’s Noel holiday market in December. No entrance fee or registration required.

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Building Closed
2025-05-05 10:00 - 16:00
Amazing Space is closed for staff development.

Preschool Trail Trekkers: Sounds of Spring
2025-05-07 10:00 - 11:00
As the weather warms up, so does the frog chorus! Listen for frogs at the wetlands. Learn about the frog life cycle and special frog features, sing frog songs, and go on a frog watching hike. For preschoolers with adult. Dress for outdoor activities.
Fees: $5 preschooler (ages 3-5), free for ages 2 and under, adults free.
Registration Deadline: 2 days prior to program date
More information: https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/trail-trekkers/
Register
