SHELBY TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — Shelby Township is home to more than 1300 acres of public parks, and there is one place many would consider a hidden gem.
The Burgess-Shadbush nature center has been around since the early 2000s, located in the Northwest section of River Bends Park. It's evolved over the years, continuing the legacy of it's founder and namesake Jo Burgess.
At the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center, the forest becomes a classroom for kids.
When nature's your playground, there's no limit to what you can explore. You can build a house and paint that house, stomp around in leaves or hang on a tree.
At the Burgess-Shadbush nature center, the Sprouts Forest Acaedmy Early Education Program allows students to be free outdoors.
“Free play, unstructured play, it’s all about them learning at the pace that they want to learn in," said Elizabeth Shultz-Correll, the Nature Center Coordinator. "They're still learning science out there. They're still practicing their social skills, critical thinking skills. They're just doing it all at their own pace and their own level.”
It's one of many nature classes and activities like mindfulness, hiking and foraging that Shultz-Correll says go on year-round, rain or shine.
“We’re free to visit. We really just want people outdoors. We're for all ages. We have programs for kids. We have events for the whole family. We even have adult only events too. So there's something for everyone here," she said.
The center is also home for rescue animals like turtles, birds and arguably their most popular creature — Murray, an opposum who doesn't let being blind slow him down.
“He is quite famous," said Shultz-Correll. "You know, people love watching his videos on social media. We had a huge turnout to his birthday party. People were bringing him presents, and he is just a sensation.”
Murray is a star who loves food and exercising, which is why they recently started training him to go on a walk outdoors with a leash.
“He loves it," Shultz-Correll said. "We tried pretty recently for the first time on the trail, and he had us jogging behind him. He was so fast and confident and had a great time."
Over the years, the center has seen more visitors and more people signing up for classes, like Nicole Tallman.
“I love getting the kids outside as much as I can," Nicole said. "I try to embrace the idea that there’s no bad weather just bad clothing so we try to get outside as much as we can and Henry has been loving it. He’s been doing home filthy every day which I love and to me is a sign of a great day.”
As leader of the center, Shultz-Correll's hope is that it continues to grow and see more support.
“I would like our problem to be that we have too many people here," she said.
The next big event is the center celebrating Earth Day on April 19th.
“It's free to the public," Shultz-Correll said. "We're going to have live music, face painting, some local nonprofits here, including the Humane Society, will be here with some adoptable dogs. We're going to have a food truck. We'll have guided hikes. We'll have open archery as well, so kids five to 17 will lead them, and they'll get to practice archery skills. We have all the equipment, so it's just a lot of fun, fun for the whole family.”
