Spend your Sunday exploring nature at the CREA Ecology Center at the Cathance River Nature Preserve!
Every Sunday from 12–2pm, families, nature lovers, and curious visitors of all ages are invited to stop by this unique off-grid learning space and discover all the Preserve has to offer.
Inside the Center, you’ll find hands-on opportunities to connect with Maine’s natural world, including native mammal and bird displays, Maine rocks and minerals, field guides and nature books for all ages, and seasonal activities for kids and families to enjoy on-site or take home for another outdoor adventure. Friendly volunteers are on hand to answer questions, share trail recommendations, and help you learn more about the Preserve’s wildlife and ecosystems.
Before or after your visit to the Center, head out onto the Preserve trails to enjoy forests, streams, wetlands, and wildlife along miles of scenic paths. In the winter months, visitors can even borrow youth and adult snowshoes during open hours to explore the trails.
Be sure to check out the Ecology Center’s many sustainable features during your visit, including solar power, recycled building materials, clay plaster walls, and other environmentally friendly design elements that make the building itself part of the learning experience.
You can also view live weather conditions from the Preserve’s weather station, which tracks temperature, wind, precipitation, solar radiation, and more for scientific studies and outdoor visitors alike.
Please help us protect this special place by practicing Leave No Trace principles: stay on marked trails, pack out what you bring in, leave natural objects where you find them, and help keep the Preserve beautiful for everyone.
Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to slow down, explore, and experience the beauty of the Cathance River Nature Preserve together!
Location & Parking:
After you have entered Highland Green, stay straight for 1.5 miles. You will pass the golf club on your left. Stay on Evergreen Circle, the winding main village road of Highland Green, for approximately 1 more mile.
When you see Junco Drive on the left, the parking area for the Ecology Center and hiking is just ahead, on the left. The Ecology Center is not visible from the parking area. Do not drive down Rensenbrink Way – there is no parking at the Ecology Center, and the road is not plowed in winter.
To reach the Ecology Center or access the rest of the trail network, head down the stone stairs to the right of the kiosk. At the bottom of the steps, head right on the dirt road (Rensenbrink Way) to reach the Ecology Center (approximately 2-3 minute walk).
