Irvine Nature Center
Encyclopedia
Irvine Nature Center is a nature center
in Owings Mills, Maryland
. The center, which is set on 116 acre (0.46943576 km²) of land in the Caves Valley Historic District
, includes a 17200 square feet (1,597.9 m²) green
exhibit hall, classrooms, outdoor classroom, amphitheater and trails. Irvine has 50,000 visitors a year.
The center is renowned for holding green weddings. There are also family nature programs, summer camps and a preschool.
in 1975 in an old barn on the grounds of St. Timothy's School
in Stevenson, Maryland
. Its purpose was to teach children about the vulnerability of the planet.
Today, Irvine is the only private, non-profit nature center in the region. Its mission is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, to increase awareness of environmental issues, and to encourage individuals to sustain Earth's ecosystem.
The center relocated to Owings Mills in 2008. The reason for the move was that St. Timothy's school, which owned the land of the Stevenson location, sold it. The state of Maryland, which had owned the current location, donated it to the center for its use. The land was formerly part of the Rosewood Center
. The current site jas a diverse array of Piedmont
habitats, including open wetlands, upland forest, meadow, forested wetlands and farmland, and includes also the headwaters of the Jones Falls
and Gwynns Falls
watersheds.
Nature center
A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
in Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
. The center, which is set on 116 acre (0.46943576 km²) of land in the Caves Valley Historic District
Caves Valley Historic District
Caves Valley Historic District is a national historic district near Owings Mills, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is located in a natural upland valley encompassing about along the North Branch of the Jones Falls and its contributing courses. It includes cultivated fields, pastures,...
, includes a 17200 square feet (1,597.9 m²) green
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
exhibit hall, classrooms, outdoor classroom, amphitheater and trails. Irvine has 50,000 visitors a year.
The center is renowned for holding green weddings. There are also family nature programs, summer camps and a preschool.
History
Irvine Nature Center was founded by Olivia Irvine DodgeOlivia Irvine Dodge
Olivia Irvine Dodge was a philanthropist who, along with her sister Clotilde, donated the house that is now the Minnesota Governor's Residence....
in 1975 in an old barn on the grounds of St. Timothy's School
St. Timothy's School
St. Timothy's School is a four-year private all-girls boarding high school in Stevenson in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The school is located just north of Baltimore City in Baltimore County less than a mile north of I-695, the Baltimore Beltway.-About the School:The school is a...
in Stevenson, Maryland
Stevenson, Maryland
Stevenson is an unincorporated community located in the northern section of Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It serves as the location of the central campus of Stevenson University . It is also home to St. Timothy's School, an all-girls boarding and day high school...
. Its purpose was to teach children about the vulnerability of the planet.
Today, Irvine is the only private, non-profit nature center in the region. Its mission is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, to increase awareness of environmental issues, and to encourage individuals to sustain Earth's ecosystem.
The center relocated to Owings Mills in 2008. The reason for the move was that St. Timothy's school, which owned the land of the Stevenson location, sold it. The state of Maryland, which had owned the current location, donated it to the center for its use. The land was formerly part of the Rosewood Center
Rosewood Center
The Rosewood Center was an institution for people with developmental disabilities located on Rosewood Lane in Owings Mills, Maryland.It was established in 1888 as the Asylum and Training School for the Feeble Minded. From 1912 to 1961, it was known as the Rosewood State Training School. In 1961,...
. The current site jas a diverse array of Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
habitats, including open wetlands, upland forest, meadow, forested wetlands and farmland, and includes also the headwaters of the Jones Falls
Jones Falls
The Jones Falls is a stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltimore and finally emptying into the Baltimore Inner Harbor....
and Gwynns Falls
Gwynns Falls
Gwynns Falls is a stream located in Baltimore County and Baltimore City, Maryland. The headwaters are located in Reisterstown in Baltimore County, and the stream flows southeast, entering the city of Baltimore and emptying into the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The Patapsco drains into the...
watersheds.