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Club Updates
President Elizabeth encouraged every member to bring a guest every month.
Outdoor Discovery Center
What is now the Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) began as Wildlife Unlimited. Director Travis Williams talked about the current operations of the ODC. About 55,000 students visit to take classes and over 50,000 people visit to tour the facilities to see things like the Live Birds of Prey exhibit. DeGraaf nature center is also operated by the ODC, even though it is a City of Holland facility. Forty percent of the electricity at the ODC is from solar. ODC has 75 employees. Their goals are the following.
Redefining Education
The ODC education network has 23 contracts to "move education outdoors". They are building nature playscapes, like the one at the Window on the Waterfront Park.
The ODC schools are Little Hawks at the ODC with 176 students, Seedlings in downtown Holland with 18 students currently and expected to triple, and Dragonflies being constructed on the former Park Township Airport with 200 students.
The ODC also runs eco-tourism programs for adults.
Restoring and Conserving Land and Water
The Macatawa Greenway is a restored waterway open to hiking, biking, and boating. The Middle Macatawa watershed is currently the major focus. The Rabbit River Preserve is also an ODC project.
Project Clarity works with 65 farmers on best practices, rebuilds wetlands, and is making a positive impact on the health of our watershed.