The Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center will be closed July 2nd-4th. Normal operating hours will resume on Tuesday, July 5th.
As part of the ongoing work to restore The Highlands to a natural landscape, there are a few projects that will begin in the upcoming weeks! For years, a pipe buried beneath The Highlands has been sending water into Indian Mill Creek, a tributary to the Grand River. Raising this waterflow to the surface, or “daylighting” the stream, will slow down the rush of water and improve the water quality of both Indian Mill Creek and the Grand River. In addition to daylighting the stream, fencing along the border of The Highlands will be removed to ensure wildlife can easily access the restored habitat.
While we are excited about these upcoming projects, we would like to inform our visitors that it may be noisy at times, portions of trails will be closed, and the area may look less natural before it transforms into the healthy landscape we are working towards. We appreciate your patience as The Highlands continues to become a thriving natural space!
If you have any questions, please contact info@blandfordnaturecenter.org or call us at (616) 735-6240.


Upcoming events
Community CalendarBlandford Trail Walking Group
1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Nature Buds
1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Nature Craft Drop-in: Pine Cone Bird Feeders
1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Wildlife Ambassadors
Blandford’s Wildlife Education Center is home to many rehabilitated animals that are no longer able to survive in the wild. These wildlife ambassadors participate in educational programming and reach thousands of students and families in West Michigan every year!
Learn about our wildlifeLand Conservancy of West Michigan and The Highlands
Blandford Nature Center and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan collaborated on the purchase of the 121-acre former Highlands Golf Club in Grand Rapids in the winter of 2017 with a vision to transform the property into a natural area for community recreation, nature preservation, and land conservation.
