Lominack Kolman Smith Architects, in collaboration with Matthew R. Baker, Landscape Architect, and EMC Engineers and Environmental Science & Technologies, Inc., designed a 12-acre expansion of the Center for Wildlife Education with an emphasis on wetlands ecology. The site has been transformed into a self-contained ecosystem that collects urban runoff from the campus and cycles it through various wetland habitats, naturally removing impurities and pollution. The habitats were designed to attract a variety of native wildlife, particularly waterfowl.

Buildings on the site include a hydrology pavilion with indoor and outdoor classrooms, an ornithological center with educational displays and a glass viewing room built over a waterfowl pond, and a native song-bird aviary. All buildings utilize sustainable building strategies in an effort to minimize their impact on the site, and on the overall environment.

The goal of the facility is to educate visiting school children and the general public as to the importance of wetlands by demonstrating their remarkable ability to remove pollutants from the environment, and by fostering an appreciation for the various forms of wildlife that they sustain.

These campground facilities were designed by Lominack Kolman Smith as Phase 1 of a 12-acre expansion to the Center for Wildlife Education with an emphasis on wetlands ecology. The project included tent pads, outdoor cooking facilities, and mens’ and womens’ restrooms. “Phase 2: Center Expansion” was completed by LKS and Matthew R. Baker Landscape Architect in 2009. The goal of the facility is to educate the public on the importance of wetlands.