Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) invites the public to explore and enjoy the Outdoor Learning Lab (OLL), a unique environmental education and conservation space open daily from sunrise to sunset at the Peosta campus.
Originally established in 2007 on former agricultural land, the OLL serves as a living demonstration of ecosystem reconstruction and sustainable land use. Located in a rich ecological transition zone between the Mississippi River valley and Iowa’s prairie landscape, the restored area includes four reconstructed native ecosystems: forest, savanna, prairie and wetland. With 3.5 miles of soft trails, the OLL is a public space that blends education, conservation and recreation.
The forest, covering six acres, was planted in 2009 and mimics three key local woodland types, including moisture-loving willows and cottonwoods, cool-climate sugar maples and pines and drought-tolerant hickories and oaks. Adjacent to this, the six-acre savanna, a mix of prairie grasses and fire-resistant trees, provides insight into a rare ecosystem shaped by fire, grazing and topography.
The prairie section spans 24 acres, with plantings in 2009 and 2015. The wetland, a six-acre site developed in 2009 and 2015, features a freshwater food web, water-filtering bioswales and critical stopover habitat for migrating waterfowl.
It is open to the public and no appointment required. Visitors are encouraged to follow “leave no trace” principles to protect the site’s research integrity. Activities such as hunting, fishing and off-trail exploration are not permitted. Pets must be leashed and cleaned up after. More information is available at Nicc.edu/outdoorlearninglab.
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