Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center

Keep Outdoor Learning Alive for 20,000+ Each Year

In West Central Minnesota, opportunities for outdoor, hands-on learning are rare. Too often, kids spend more time indoors and on screens than exploring nature. Without access to meaningful outdoor experiences, they miss out on the confidence that come from connecting with the natural world.

That’s where Prairie Woods comes in. 

As the only environmental learning center in West Central Minnesota, we welcome more than 20,000 participants each year to our 560 acres of prairie, woodland, and lakeshore. For more than 30 years, Prairie Woods has been the place where people of all ages get outside, get their hands dirty, and discover what nature has to teach. We’ve seen kids light up as they splash in wetlands, ski across prairie hills, and explore the joy of learning outdoors. And with our new Nature Preschool, we’re planting seeds of lifelong connection to nature from the very beginning.

But we can’t do it alone. To keep our programs accessible and impactful, we need your help. Trails require maintenance, habitats need restoring, and our outdoor classrooms depend on resources and staff to welcome learners year-round.

This Give to the Max Day, Minnesotans are invited to give where your heart takes you.

If your heart is with connecting kids and families to nature in West Central Minnesota, we hope you’ll support Prairie Woods with a gift of $25, $50, or $100. Every dollar goes directly into keeping Prairie Woods thriving and accessible to all.