The Eddy Discovery Center at the Waterloo State Recreation Area near Chelsea is now taking reservations for free guided field trips for school groups. The field trips are designed to help teach and reinforce learning objectives in the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for Science and Social Studies.

Some of the programs offered include a guided walk on the Cedar Lake Bog, exploring the bog and various ecosystems along the way; or a guided walk with the center's staff geologist to view the effects of glacial ice, fossils embedded in sedimentary rock and an array of rocks and minerals along the center's Rock Walkway. Other programs include Michigan mammals, forest or wetland ecology and tree identification.

"Not only are these programs great learning tools for school groups, they provide a way for children to connect safely with nature," said Department of Natural Resources Park Interpreter Kathy Kavanagh. "Connecting children with the outdoors is a primary focus of the DNR, and these programs offer great ways to partner with teachers to provide an outdoor education experience."

The Waterloo State Recreation Area has 20,000 acres with diverse flora, fauna and ecosystems found nowhere else in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Inside the visitor center, students can have hands-on experience with Waterloo's habitats, rocks and fossils, while viewing birds at a feeding station and a beehive. There is also a multi-media presentation available at the visitor center giving an overview of the recreation area and Michigan's geologic past and present.

School programs are free with a Michigan State Park Motor Vehicle Permit, which is $6 per bus. The park and its visitor center provide universally accessible facilities.

For more information or to make a school field trip reservation, call the Eddy Discovery Center at (734) 475-3170. The center is located at 17030 Bush Rd. between Pierce and McClure roads in Chelsea.