BC Forestry Outreach Center

Family Activity: Hidden Habitats Walk
2026-08-16 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Forestry Outreach Center, 2047 Big Hill Rd., Berea, KY, 40403, United States
We will leave at 2:00pm to go on a slow walk around the lower forest to explore what critters might be living in hidden habitats like holes or under logs.

Group Hike at the Pinnacles
2026-08-15 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-08 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-18 10:00 - 12:00
Have you explored all of the Berea College Forest? Maybe you have but you’d like to learn more while you do?
Join us for a group hike every Saturday to experience the wonders the forest has to offer.
Please bring water and wear appropriate clothing for hiking. The destination will be decided by the group. All trails have uneven terrain and have at least moderate elevation gain.
Meet at the Forestry Outreach Center. Check out maps and trail information here: https://forestryoutreach.berea.edu/trails/the-pinnacles

Forest Meditations
2026-08-15 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-08-08 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-06-27 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-06-20 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-06-13 09:00 - 10:00
Come join us for Forest Meditations. This is an opportunity to connect with ourselves, each other, and the forest. All are welcome. Meet in the Forestry Outreach Center. We will be outdoors unless the weather is unpleasant!

Anglin Falls Guided Hike
2026-08-11 17:30 - 19:30
Email Wendy at warrenw@berea.edu to sign up. We will meet at the Center first to check in.

When it’s sunny and hot in the summer, Anglin Falls is a great place to hike. The falls are rain-dependent, so it may or may not be flowing strongly.
2 mile round-trip hike through uneven terrain.

Family Activity: Eco-Friendly Water Balloons
2026-08-09 14:00 - 15:00
Beat the heat with eco-friendly, reusable water balloons made out of crocheted yarn! The fun and coolness without the mess.

Nature R&R at Anglin Falls
2026-08-05 09:30 - 11:30
Email Wendy at warrenw@berea.edu to sign up. We will meet at the Center first.

We live in an age where stressors are all around us–and hope sometimes seems hard to come by. Research is increasingly describing what our bodies need: time together in the natural world we are a part of and opportunities for our bodies to remember this connection. As our stress levels come down, all of our body’s systems function as they should. Join us to experience this for yourself.
Nature Reconnection for Restoration

Family Activity: Crafty Caterpillars
2026-08-02 14:00 - 15:00
Explore the wacky designs of caterpillars by crafting your own! Maybe we can find live ones with a short walk through the woods.

Vulture Awareness Day
2026-08-02
September 5th is International Vulture Awareness Day!
Join us for an event with activities and educational information celebrating vultures and the important role they play in ecosystems here and around the world.
Details TBD.

Group Hike at Anglin Falls *sign up required*
2026-07-29 17:30 - 19:30
Have you explored all of the Berea College Forest? Maybe you have but you’d like to learn more while you do?
Join us for a group hike every Saturday to experience the wonders the forest has to offer.

Email warrenw@berea.edu to sign up. We will meet at the Center first at 5:30pm and caravan to Anglin Falls.
Please bring water and wear appropriate clothing for hiking. The destination will be decided by the group. All trails have uneven terrain and have at least moderate elevation gain.

Family Activity: Crafty Caterpillars
2026-07-26 14:00 - 15:00
Caterpillars are one of the staples of our ecosystem–they are an important food source for animals like birds. When they grow up into butterflies, they are also important pollinators. After you make a caterpillar craft, maybe you can spot some in the forest!
Geared towards elementary ages but all welcome.

Group Hike at Pinnacle Knob Trails
2026-07-25 10:00 - 12:00
Have you explored all of the Berea College Forest? Maybe you have but you’d like to learn more while you do?
Join us for a group hike every Saturday to experience the wonders the forest has to offer.
Please bring water and wear appropriate clothing for hiking. The destination will be decided by the group. All trails have uneven terrain and have at least moderate elevation gain.
View directions and a hiking map here: https://forestryoutreach.berea.edu/trails/pinnacle-knob/
The parking lot is just down the road across the street from the Pinnacles/Center lot–you will see a sign that says “Pinnacle Knob trails”

Cosmic Cafe & Star Party
2026-07-21 20:00 - 21:30
Cosmic Cafes are casual meetings open to all who are interested in the night sky. They will be followed by star parties (looking at the night sky) when weather allows.
Led by Jeff Hutton with the Pinnacle Astronomy Club!

Family Activity: Lots of Ladybugs
2026-07-19 14:00 - 15:00
Ladybugs are a summer icon, but do you know we have multiple species of lady beetles in Kentucky? Learn about the types and life cycle and then craft your own!
Geared towards elementary ages but all welcome.

Nature R&R at Anglin Falls *sign up required*
2026-07-16 17:30 - 20:00
Email Wendy at warrenw@berea.edu to sign up. We will meet at the Center first at 5:30pm then caravan to Anglin Falls.
Join us for a slow-paced, relaxing and restorative forest experience. Please bring water and a portable seat or ground cover.

Give yourself the gift of a break and reconnect with the natural world.

Learn more about this experience HERE.

Family Activity: Bug Safari
2026-06-28 14:00 - 15:00
We’ll go on a slow-paced, child-led walk through the lower forest and around the Center searching for insect friends to observe and admire!
Meet at the Center to leave at 2:00pm.
Geared towards elementary ages but all welcome.
This activity is in part to celebrate Pollinator Week, June 22nd-28th!

Group Hike
2026-06-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-20 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-13 10:00 - 17:00

Night Walk
2026-06-26 20:30 - 22:00
Join us for a slow-paced walk in the woods starting at sundown. This will give us a chance to find forest critters that are active in the evenings. We will also set up a moth sheet–a white sheet with a UV light that will attract nocturnal insects like moths and beetles–to observe when we get back from the walk.
Plan for uneven terrain and about 1 mile of distance. Please bring a flashlight or lantern!
We will meet at the Center to leave at 8:45pm.

Shawnee Language Institute
2026-06-26 14:30 - 16:30
The Forestry Outreach Center is delighted to host Shawnee Language teachers from around the country for their annual Language Program meeting.
On Friday, June 26th, the campus community and the public are invited to join us from 2:30-4:30 for talks by Joel Barnes, Shawnee Language Program Director, and Broughton Anderson, Berea College professor of archaeology. These talks will focus on the evolution of the program over time, leading to the current Shawnee Language Immersion Program (SLIP), with a focus on collaborations—and potential collaborations—with the academic community.

The Extraordinary Caterpillar documentary showing
2026-06-24 18:30 - 19:30
Join us for a showing of The Extraordinary Caterpillar, a documentary with amazing cinematography and close-ups of a huge diversity of caterpillars–animals essential to the health of our ecosystems.
The film is just over 1 hour in runtime and is great for all ages.
This event is in celebration of Pollinator Week, June 22nd-28th!

Family Activity: Sun Day & Sundaes
2026-06-21 14:00 - 15:00
Happy Summer Solstice!
Celebrate “Sun Day” on Sunday with sundaes and craft activities.
Geared towards elementary ages but all welcome.

Cosmic Cafe & Star Party
2026-06-18 20:00 - 21:30
Casual meeting for those interested in the night sky followed by sky observation if weather permits.
Thanks to the Pinnacle Astronomy Club.

Family Activity: Micro Exploration
2026-06-14 14:00 - 15:00
We will go on a walk to collect interesting objects (and maybe some cool critters!) to look at under a microscope. We will also be able to look at some prepared slides in scopes that allow us an even closer view.
Geared towards elementary ages but all welcome.
