Capitol News

The Lansing Public School District has formally announced the donation of 80 acres of land to expand the Ebersole Center, a four-season environmental educational facility located in Wayland and operated by the school district.

The announcement was made at the May 4 school board meeting. The Ebersole Center is used for classes, retreats and science experiments for students. It is a local conference center that is open to the public to enjoy and learn in nature.

It has been open since 1971, but in 1984, it was renamed the Vernon D. Ebersole Environmental Education and Conference Center after a long-time school board member who helped promote the educational programs and supported it through tough economic times, according to the Lansing School District website.

Superintendent Ben Shuldiner accepted the official donation presentation at their school board meeting, which was handed over by Donna Old, the chairperson of the Ebersole Foundation and a former student, teacher and administrator in Lansing School District.

“So on behalf of all the trustees of the Ebersole Foundation, past and present, and our hundreds of donors across the Lansing area -- and I mean hundreds -- we are proud to donate the property to Lansing School District and the Vernon D. Ebersole Environmental Education and Conference Center,” Old said at the meeting. “We are beyond delighted to present to you this deed to the foundation's 80 acres adjacent to the Ebersole Center, whose assessed valuation approaches $1 million in today's market and includes a small house, a pole barn, a dairy barn, a small pond and various other ecological messages where Lansing students will learn more about their environment and their role in it.”

Old was joined by several trustees and foundation members, including Ebersole Director Benjamin Botwinski, who spoke on behalf of all the staff at the center and the movement of increasing outdoor education for students. 

“One of the few pandemic positives, if there were any, is that educators are again considering the best way to teach and utilize outdoor spaces to maximize learning for students. Especially for students who live in urban areas, there are far too few opportunities to learn outdoors and positively experience nature,” Botwinski said. “While the existing Ebersole center campus was a wonderful place for students to learn about the natural world, it didn't lend itself to the agro science, animal husbandry, food and land management opportunities like this farm property. We're anxious and excited to expand our programing offerings.”

The Center is supported by the Ebersole Foundation, whose mission is “to provide charitable, scientific and educational support to the Center. More specifically, to raise funds to assist the Ebersole Center in land acquisition, capital improvements, stewardship activities, program development, and to subsidize the cost of attendance for Lansing School District students.”

According to the district website, the Ebersole Foundation and 400 organizations and donors presented about $1 million worth of land to the district. The land is next to the center and will be used for expansion of their programming and reach.

“The donation of this land increases the total size of our center to 238 acres, and the site features a 14-acre lake, many biodiverse environments, including wetlands, and mature forests,” Botwinski said.