Nourish Your Need for Nature™
Since 1967, Dodge has been connecting children and adults to nature. With a mission to provide exceptional experiences in nature through environmental education, Dodge Nature Center and Preschool are nationally recognized. Nourish Your Need For Nature™ by joining an upcoming nature experience.
Plan Your Visit
Thank you for giving to the max!
Thank you to the Dodge community for coming together to help nourish everyone’s need for nature as we celebrated Give to the Max Day and National Take a Hike Day!
Whether you made a donation, joined us on the trail, or simply rooted for us from home, you brightened our day.
We are just shy of reaching our $15,000 goal, and matching funds still remain, so if you didn’t get a chance to donate yet, there’s still time for your gift to make twice as much environmental education possible.
Trails open at Shepard Farm
Dodge Nature Center is proud to bring you a new nature destination in Cottage Grove! Shepard Farm is open to hike 365 days a year, sunrise to sunset, at no cost.
Located in the heart of Cottage Grove, at 70th St. S. and Jamaica Ave., Shepard offers a setting unique from other Dodge properties. You’ll walk amid 100-year-old woods, 1920s-era historic buildings and barns, restored prairie, community gardens, a bee apiary and animal pastures.
Please note: to protect farm animals and wildlife, no dogs or bikes are allowed on the property.
Campaigning to connect you to nature
In September 2020, Dodge Nature Center and Preschool launched Nourishing Everyone’s Need for Nature, a $40 million campaign to increase access to our four properties and improve their sustainability. Because of donors like you, the campaign is off to the strongest of starts, with $34.5 million donated and pledged to date—86% to goal!
Dodge made headlines:
Star Tribune | Pioneer Press | KSTP-TV | West St. Paul Reader
