FAYETTEVILLE -- The Ozark Natural Science Center in Madison County is ready to expand its educational programming at Lake Fayetteville.
The science center on April 1 will begin leasing the Environmental Study Center at Lake Fayetteville, according to a news release from the science center. Programming will include summer camps, workshops, classes and fundraisers, all free to the public. The science center also will host guided hikes at least once per month for nine months of the year.
The City Council in February approved an agreement for the city to lease out the Lake Fayetteville Environmental Study Center with access to the 200 acres it sits on to the Ozark Natural Science Center.
A grand opening of the Lake Fayetteville center is planned for May 18. More details can be found at www.onsc.us/call-of-the-wild.
Since the 1970s, the city reserved the eastern portion of Lake Fayetteville for the Fayetteville and Springdale school districts to use as a nature study area for student field trips. The acreage includes the study center, lake access, hiking trails, and various flora and fauna to observe and study.
The Springdale School District notified the city in 2022 it no longer had a need for the property. The Fayetteville School District followed suit last summer.
At the end of the one-year term with the Ozark Natural Science Center, the city and science center could continue for another year or renegotiate the terms, according to the agreement.
Ken and RuAnn Ewing of Rogers founded the Ozark Natural Science Center, which gained nonprofit status in 1993. Its campus in the Bear Hollow Natural Area in Madison County includes three lodges, an education building, guest and faculty housing, a classroom, observation deck and nearly 8 miles of hiking trails, according to its website. It offers free summer camps, overnight weekend events, guided hikes and outdoor learning.
Programming at the main center in Huntsville will continue as it has.