Irvine Nature Center

Irvine Nature Center was founded in 1975 in an old barn at St. Timothy's School in Stevenson, Maryland. Today, Irvine is the only private, non-profit nature center in the region. We owe our existence to Olivia Irvine Dodge, our generous founder, who recognized the importance of preserving ecologically significant places and providing environmental education for children.

Irvine has emerged as a leader among Maryland's environmental education centers. With a unique and comprehensive focus on the natural science of the Piedmont, Irvine serves more than 25,000 children and adults each year with more than 500 public and school programs. We have also pioneered several important initiatives, including Household Hazardous Waste Day, Baltimore County River and Streams Conference, and Native Plant Seminar. In 1975, we launched the Jones Falls Clean-Up with the Green Spring Valley Garden Club. Today, this annual initiative - now known as Project Clean Stream - attracts more than 2,718 volunteers, and is the largest watershed clean-up in the region. 

In August of 2000, the state of Maryland donated to Irvine 116 acres on Garrison Forest Road in the Caves Valley area of Baltimore County.  It is surrounded by an additonal 1,200 acres of land protected by conservation easements.  The land was formerly part of the Rosewood Center.  Our new site, to which we opened the doors in September of 2008,  offers a great diversity of Piedmont habitats including open wetlands, upland forest, meadow, forested wetlands, and farmland, and includes the headwaters of the Jones Falls and Gwynn's Falls watersheds.  Irvine will undertake significant habitat restoration and enhancement projects and create numerous demonstration gardens on the site.   We invite everyone to come to Irvine to explore all of the ways in which we hold fast to our mission of inspiring appreciation and respect for the natural world, increasing awareness of environmental issues, and encouraging individuals to sustain Earth's ecosystems.