About Us, Field Station and Environmental Education Center

The Field Station and Environmental Education Center (FSEEC) encourages exploration of natural processes and provides hands-on learning by students of all ages. Our research activities are directed toward understanding the human impact on ecological processes and communities. Our center is a collaboration of the Department of Biology, the Department of Environment, Geology, and Natural Resources, and the Department of Landscape Architecture. The FSEEC is comprised of six properties totaling 425 acres and is home to Ball State University’s four greenhouses, the Christy Woods Classroom, and the Environmental Education Center/Nature Lab.

Mission

Field Station and Environmental Education Center Mission Statements

Educational and Outreach Mission: To promote and support a multidisciplinary environmental education for all ages.
Objectives:
1. Provide diverse learning opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to observe nature and natural processes.
2. Collaborate with and encourage BSU departments to engage in environmental education opportunities for the public.
3. Maintain Field Station properties to showcase a diverse array of natural and managed ecosystems.
4. Monitor environmental and ecological changes on our Field Station properties in support of property maintenance and achieving our educational goals.
5. Provide an outdoor laboratory that supports investigations of sustainable land use and restoration of damaged ecosystems.
Research Mission Statement: To promote and support scientific inquiry into the functions and interactions between natural and human dominated ecosystems of East Central Indiana and the Midwest in general.
Objectives:
1. Provide a setting for biodiversity investigations and experimentation.
2. Create a database of the flora and fauna present in East Central Indiana.
3. Monitor anthropomorphic changes in a human dominated landscape.
4. Investigate long term effects of alternative management techniques, including ecological restoration, on biodiversity and environmental qualities.
5. Conduct sustainability research on built environments and their surrounding landscapes.
6. Assess learning outcomes for experiential education in field settings.

Policies

Collecting of any live material on any of our six properties is tightly restricted and is by written permission only. Permission is granted by the director of the Field Station and Environmental Education Center.

Collecting restrictions include, but are not limited to:

any live plant material, such as:
- leaves
- flowers
- tree branches
any animal, such as:
- turtles or amphibian (protected by state law)
- Insects
- bird nests and feathers (protected by federal law)
any mushrooms

Our properties are unique areas that are to be used solely for educational purposes. Collecting degrades the ecosystems found within the areas, ultimately decreasing the value as an educational facility

Community Partners

We work closely with outside agencies and organizations to promote and teach sustainable, educational and research programs and projects.

We would like to thank and acknowledge the following, in no specific order: