LAFAYETTE

Looking for free family fun Saturday? Celery Bog is celebrating nature

Deanna Watson
Lafayette Journal & Courier

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ‒ Owl hoots and other animal howls, crafts and beehives, backpacking and exploring are just some of the outdoor activities families can enjoy for free Saturday at the Celery Bog Nature Area in West Lafayette.

The 11th Annual Free Family Nature Celebration, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, will include crafts and other activities for "youth of all ages"; displays of insect, owl and frog knowledge; a working beehive; scouting activities; and information on native trees and shrubs.

The Celery Bog Nature Area in West Lafayette, is home to one of the top places in Indiana to observe birds. Photo taken May 16, 2023.

"There will be so much going on," Dan Dunten, director of the Celery Bog-Lilly Nature Center. "We will have a booth set up for preschoolers and elementary school kids, with a lot of activities planned for them. Two great tours, and then we will have a speaker to come in to talk about some of the animals she’s rehabilitated.

"We had a rainy event last year, and we still had 300 people. So it could be a busy day here with the nice weather expected."

The nature celebration will mark Dunten's last at the helm of the Celery Bog and Lilly Nature Center. He's retiring after 12 years, a post he assumed after serving 24 years with 4-H programs in Muncie and Tippecanoe County. Dunten also served as a regional supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources.

In this 2018 file photo, volunteer Bruce Jones, left, and director Dan Dunten spread mulch on a trail at Celery Bog Nature Area Tuesday, October 23, 2018, in West Lafayette. Rain had washed mulch off of portions of the trail, Dunten said, and water bars have been put in place to direct rain water off of the trails and into the adjacent woods to prevent further loss of mulch.

Nature is in his blood, a characteristic that won't change, he said, once he retires on May 31.

"My goal is to visit all the national parks across the country, all 63 of them," said Dunten, who credits the many volunteers at the nature area for making the experience what it's been. "And after another nature center learned I was retiring, they reached out and asked if I would serve as a consultant.

"I will be helping out another parks department, a nice transition."

Saturday's time-sensitive events

  • 10:15-10:45 a.m. — bird hike, starting at the outdoor amphitheater
  • 11 a.m.-noon — Hoots 2 Howls, a live animal talk held inside the center
  • 1-1:45 p.m. — nature and wildflower hike, at the outdoor amphitheater.

A part of West Lafayette Parks and Recreation, the Celery Bog Nature Area includes the Lilly Nature Center and 4.3 miles of paved trails and 2.5 miles of natural paths, some that will take a hiker alongside the marsh. The nature area, listed as one of the top five locations in Indiana to observe wild birds, is free and open to the public.

The Celery Bog Nature Area, home of the Lilly Nature Center, in West Lafayette, Ind., includes some 4.3 miles of paved trails and 2.5 miles of natural paths.

While biking is permitted on the paved trails, according to the parks department, swimming, boating and fishing are not allowed in the marsh.