About Us

Owned and operated by the Lansing School District, the Ebersole Center is a four-seasons, barrier-free residential environmental education center and youth camp located in beautiful Wayland, Michigan - approximately 75 miles west of Lansing.  

The Ebersole Center site is 238 acres of undisturbed natural beauty and exceptional biodiversity.  Over two miles of accessible boardwalk trails invite guests to enter wetland and forest areas alike.  While the central campus is clean and modern, every effort is made to preserve natural areas in the most pristine state possible.

Guests enjoy the Center site for a variety of reasons. For school children it is a great place to study the natural world in a "hands-on, minds-on" way.  For retreat groups it is a peaceful get away far from the hustle and bustle of the office.  For nearly anyone it is an inspirational place to connect with nature, to renew, refresh, or feel for the first time the wonder and awe of our natural world.

Each year over 3000 guests visit the Ebersole Center, explore 238 acres of nature beauty, forested terrain, and pristine lake, participate in over 35 exciting programs and activities during our 45 programming weeks.  3000 ... 158 ... 35 ... 45.  All important numbers, but it is our philosophy at the Ebersole Center that the only number that really matters is the number "1", which represents each individual guest that becomes a part of the Ebersole family.     

Our mission, our philosophy, our C-OAR values, and our efforts all focus on investing fully in each individual guest as if they were the only "1" at the Ebersole Center.  Why?...because although deep down we might admit that the one, two, three, or four days that guests spend at the Ebersole Center may not be the "most" important time of their life, to us it is.

11,500 Enrollment by 2025
85% Graduation Rate by 2025
90% Attendance by 2025