Events & Programs
LRWP’s free nature programs and events serve all ages!
Field Trips for Classes/Groups
Click here for an application to bring a class/group to a LRWP preserve
Teachers, let us know what you're studying and we can tailor a program that's relevant to the classroom. Scouts, our staff and volunteers can work with you to meet requirements for different badges. Trips are arranged on a first come, first served basis.
Adult groups may also wish to visit our preserves or volunteer. Please call us if your employee group, club, hiking group, birding group, church group, senior program or other community group is interested in a guided visit or might like to volunteer at an event or for stewardship.
Offsite presentations can be given about our preserves and programs to businesses, clubs or other community groups through special arrangements with our staff. Classroom presentations on wetland topics may also be arranged on a limited basis.
For more information or to discuss an event for your group, please email Aly Munger at a.munger@lrwp.org.
community events
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World Wetlands Day - Saturday, February 1, 2020
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Earth Day Fort Wayne - Sunday, April 26, 2020
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Urban Turtle Festival Weekend - Saturday & Sunday, June 6 & 7, 2020
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Monarch Festival - Sunday, September 13, 2020
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Frogapalooza (fundraiser) - Exciting Changes are Coming - Date TBD
public hikes & Programs
Winter Hike
Saturday, February 15, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Join Beth Ricketts, and the Indiana Native Plant Society, Northeast Chapter, for a winter hike at the west side of Eagle Marsh. Winter is a wonderful season to experience these wetlands! Please meet us at the Boy Scout Office parking lot. Dress for the weather - waterproof boots are recommended.
Spring is Here!
Saturday, March 21, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Join us at the Eagle Marsh barn where we will be getting our boots muddy as we celebrate the arrival of Spring by sowing seeds and going on a spring signs exploration hike. Please dress for the weather, rubber boots are recommended. This event is fun for all friends and families!
Macroinvertebrate Madness
Saturday, April 11, from 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Join us at the barn as we take a closer look at what lives in the water at Eagle Marsh. We will examine these critters under a microscope and learn about what they can tell us about our water quality. Please dress for the weather, rubber boots are recommended. This event is fun for all friends and families!
iNaturalist City Nature Challenge
April 24-27
The City Nature Challenge is an annual, global, community science competition to document urban biodiversity. The challenge is a bioblitz that engages residents and visitors to find and document plants, animals, and other organisms living in urban areas. Participating is as easy as taking a picture! Everyone can participate, from school age to senior citizen. Join us in recording who and what lives in Fort Wayne. Contact Maraiah Russell at m.russell@lrwp.org or 260-478-2515 for more information.
short hikes for short legs
Third Wednesday of each month at 9:00am - This event is fun for children ages 3 to 5 with a responsible adult. Join us at the Eagle Marsh barn. 6801 Engle Road, Fort Wayne. Please dress for the weather, boots are recommended.
Short Hikes for Short Legs: The Life Cycle of a Snowflake
Wednesday, February 19, from 9:00am to 10:00am
Join us at the Eagle Marsh barn as we answer questions like, "Why does it snow?", "Why snow is white?", and more!
Short Hikes for Short Legs: Seed to Eagle Marsh
Wednesday, March 18, from 9:00am to 10:00am
Join us at the Eagle Marsh barn as we investigate wetland plant seeds, how they travel and also participate in seed planting for the continuing restoration of Eagle Marsh.
Short Hikes for Short Legs: Pond Life
Wednesday, April 15, from 9:00am to 10:00am
Join us at the Eagle Marsh barn to learn about swimmers, wigglers, and things that go hop in the water. We will be doing some pond dipping to discover what lives in the water.
Little River Ramblers
Every Tuesday, from 9:00am to 11:00am
Dress for the weather, boots are recommended. Bring binoculars if you'd like a close-up view!
Arrowhead Prairie
March
Eagle Marsh barn
February
Eagle Marsh west entrance (Boy Scout office parking lot)
January, April
Breakfast on the marsh
Second Thursday of each month at 8:30am - Well-seasoned nature lovers (50+), join us for a light breakfast and nature presentation at the Indiana Wesleyan University Education & Conference Center, Room 102/104, 8211 W. Jefferson Blvd, Fort Wayne. Please register with us by emailing Aly Munger at a.munger@lrwp.org, or calling 260-478-2515, so we can be sure to have enough food.
In an effort to discontinue single-use items at our programs, please consider bringing your own coffee mug to our Breakfast on the Marsh event!
Musings on Nature: Through the Eyes of Doc & His Carvings
Thursday, February 13, from 8:30am to 9:45am
Join us for a look into the artistic life of Little River Wetlands Project's long time friend, Dr. Lawrence Wiedman, PhD. Doc has been carving for over 37 years and will be speaking on his inspiration and creative process.
Indiana Forest Alliance
Thursday, March 12, from 8:30am to 9:45am
Join us as Elizabeth Tollefson of the Indiana Forest Alliance discusses the Indiana Forest Alliance organization, projects they are working on, as well as their interest and efforts with Francis Slocum and Salamonie.
Animals with Scales: A Closer Look
Thursday, April 9, from 8:30am to 9:45am
Let's take a closer look at scales this morning with Jeff Ormiston, Envrionmental Educator for Fox Island County Park, and his microscope. He will share with us the many different scales found on animals.
Volunteer events
Volun-beer with us the first Thursday of every month!
Thursday, February 6, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Thursday, March 5, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Thursday, April 2, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Join us at Hop River Brewing Company, 1515 N Harrison St, Fort Wayne IN 46808, for an evening of stewardship and volunteering! This is a fun way to get together with friend, family, other volunteers and your community. We will be cleaning seeds collected from the marsh, so that they can be used this fall to sew bare areas,in the spring to grow plants in our hoop house, or to create more native habitat throughout our community.
This is an all ages venue, children are welcome too! If you don't enjoy beer, that's okay, there's plenty of good food and non-alcoholic beverages there too.
Support a local non-profit and a local brewery while having fun with family and friends!
For questions, please email Maraiah Russell at m.russell@lrwp.org or Aly Munger at a.munger@lrwp.org.
Volunteer Kick Off
Saturday, April 18, from 9:00am to 10:00am
Newly interested and seasoned volunteers are welcome to join us as we launch another great year of working with the LRWP community! We will be meeting at the Eagle Marsh barn.
Come enjoy breakfast treats and hear about the upcoming events of 2020 and learn how you can be a part of them. You’re welcome and encouraged to bring along your family or anyone interested in becoming a volunteer. We will also honor a volunteer with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Please email Maraiah Russell at m.russell@lrwp.org or call the office at 260-478-2515 to RSVP by April 10.
Annual Spring Clean-up
Saturday, April 18, from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Help us protect our preserve’s habitats and the wildlife that depend on them at this annual event by helping to remove winter’s trash. Bring garden rakes, grabbers, any useful tools, trash bags, and work gloves (waterproof recommended) if you can and be ready to get wet and muddy. Great event to bring family and friends along too! We will be meeting at the Eagle Marsh gateway parking area (west of green gate) off Engle Road.
training programs
Please contact Maraiah Russell at m.russell@lrwp.org or 260-478-2515 with questions, or to sign-up for the training's listed below.
Hoosier Riverwatch Intro-Learn About Our Watershed
Wednesday, January 29, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Where does all the water go? Listen to Sharon Partridge as she explains the flow of local waterways, and how a watershed works. She'll talk about the Hoosier Riverwatch program, and how you can get involved. This training will take place at our Little River Wetlands Project office, 5000 Smith Road, Fort Wayne.
iNaturalist Training
Saturday, March 7, from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Meet us at the Little River Wetlands Project office, 5000 Smith Road, Fort Wayne, as we learn how to observe changes and use the app iNaturalist to contribute to biodiversity science, both locally and globally! Recording the changes that plants and animals go through over the course of the year is a great way to monitor the overall health of the surrounding environment. Collect data to be used by scientists worldwide, or to create your own field guide. Join us for information about this community science project and how you can participate.
Nest Box Monitor Training
Saturday, March 14, from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Have you noticed the bluebird boxes located around the trails? Have you ever taken a moment to watch who’s coming and going? Join us at the Little River Wetlands Project office, 5000 Smith Road, Fort Wayne, for Nest Box Monitor Training. During this training, you will learn how to safely check on and record what’s happening in those boxes! This training will focus on the smaller bluebird nest boxes, so no wading necessary.
Weather policy
All programs are cancelled if any of the following conditions occur within Allen County:
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Southwest Allen County Schools close due to inclement weather
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A winter storm warning is issued
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A thunderstorm warning is issued
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A tornado warning is issued
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Hikes are cancelled if the heat index is 100° F or greater
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Hikes are cancelled if the wind chill is 10° F or colder
For other inclement weather or dangerous site conditions not mentioned above (ie. flood conditions, downed power lines), programs may be subject to cancellation if deemed unsafe.
If there is lightning seen or thunder heard (by an adult) during a hike, ALL PARTICIPANTS AND LRWP VOLUNTEERS must return to the barn. The scheduled event on the marsh can continue 30 minutes after the last lightning was seen or thunder heard. The program is allowed to continue in the barn.
Directions
Arrowhead Marsh & Arrowhead Prairie
Both Arrowhead preserves are on Aboite Road southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana. From Fort Wayne, take Route 24 (Jefferson Blvd.) past Homestead Road and turn left on Redding Drive. Proceed about 1.5 miles to where Aboite Road T’s into Redding Drive. Turn left and go about a block: Arrowhead Prairie is on the right--park near the buildings. Arrowhead Marsh is on the left--park in the grassy area near the sign, but use caution if the area is wet.
Google Map of Arrowhead Preserves
Eagle Marsh main gate (open during scheduled events)
6801 Engle Road. From West Jefferson Boulevard, turn east on Engle Road. Travel approximately 1/2 mile and turn south on gravel road. Travel down the gravel road to the red and tan barn.
Little River Wetlands Project Office
Located on the southwest side of Smith Road from the intersection of Smith and Engle.
Google Map of Little River Wetlands Project Office
West Entrance to Eagle Marsh
(Boy Scout Office Parking Lot)
Turn off at Olde Canal Place Road (opposite Lutheran Hospital entrance on W. Jefferson Blvd.) and proceed to the end of the road.