Heronwood Field Station is a 5000 square foot ecological field station on over 60 acres in Alamo. Heronwood is home to several projects and programs, including high school Conservation Biology courses, a Mitchell’s satyr butterfly rearing and research program, and more. With fully equipped laboratories, a GIS station, and plenty of room for projects, Heronwood is an ideal place to work on a wide variety of research and education projects.

Please note:  Heronwood Field Station is a private school and not open to the public.  For education questions, please call (269) 459-8500.

Heronwood is available to business and non-profit organizations for rentals. Learn more here >

Our Commitment to Health and Safety

Heronwood Field Station is committed to protecting the health of our students, families, staff, and community. The following policies were designed in response to guidance from the MI Safe Schools: Michigan’s 2020-21 Return to School Roadmap, Michigan Departments of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and Health and Human Services, in accordance with best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and with everyone’s well being in mind.

To limit the potential spread of COVID-19, we will be making some temporary changes to our programming that include robust cleaning and disinfecting procedures and minimising opportunities for person-to-person exposure (e.g., an infected person spreading respiratory droplets through actions such as coughing, sneezing, or talking). The following plan outlines the recommended practices and strategies we will use to protect the health of our students, staff, and families while at the same time ensuring that students are experiencing developmentally appropriate and responsive interactions and environments.

Please read the Heronwood Field Station COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan here.

Heronwood Field Station

Programs at Heronwood

Conservation Biology

Heronwood Students in Canoe

KNC’s Conservation Biology class, offered in partnership with the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, introduces students to the exciting careers in Natural Resource Conservation and Wildlife Biology.  This is a laboratory/field-based course which involves hands-on learning of ecological science, animal and plant studies (i.e. behavior, identification), job shadowing, and field trips. This course has special emphasis on skills and technology used in this profession. Students have direct contact with natural resource conservationists and wildlife biologists in this field of study and get to use Heronwood’s 90-acre forest as an extension of the classroom. They will receive either their 2nd or 3rd high school science credit through this program, as well as attain the skills necessary to obtain employment in various careers in Natural Resource Conservation and Wildlife Biology. Major units of the class include: Biodiversity, Native Plant Propagation, Human Impacts on the Natural World, Maps and Navigation, Soil, Natural Resources Careers, Forestry, Climate Change, Wildlife, and Water Issues.

To learn more about this program and enrollment requirements, please visit KRESA’s website or call 269-250-9300

Visit KNC’s Conservation Biology website >

Youth Climate Leaders Peer Education

Youth Climate Leaders

Youth Climate Leaders Peer Education Program began in early 2020 when several community members came together from the KNC, Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition, Schools for Climate Action, and Great Lakes PeaceJam. They saw a need in our community for informing young folks about climate change, knowing that the climate crisis will deeply affect their generation and those to come more greatly than adult generations today. It is integral that we support high school age youth as they embark on becoming the next leaders of our nations and to give teens the tools to advocate for a resilient future and to share accurate information with their peers and community.  

Our YCL peer education program utilizes a non-partisan approach that presents science-based facts and encourages critical thinking. YCL Peer Educators learn to define and verbalize their own values, provide hope and pathways to change, and gain the ability to advocate for their own futures.  

Applications are being accepted through April 30 for the 2022-23 school year.

Learn more & apply >