Currently, Southwestern University is in the process of developing the 560 acres to the east of Southwestern University proper. This development will provide much-needed revenue streams for the school and plans to include buildings like  a concert hall, boutique hotel, restaurants, office, and research spaces. No doubt, this development will be a place for study, family, and outdoor recreation.

This development will also contain two man-made ponds that will act as bioretention ponds, and an “EcoHub” building which could be used for student research and community engagement.

During this development, we must say goodbye to the much-loved EcoLab, which has been carefully tended and expanded upon for many years by Southwestern students through the EcoLab class. Some features we will lose include our winding trails made by students, a bird blind, and the location of all of Southwestern’s beehives and meeting location for BeeCo. Additionally, we will miss the unique and endemic flora and fauna located in our only piece of Blackland prairie on campus due to the development.

Around seventeen acres of the original EcoLab will be preserved, and in future phases of the development more land will be added to the preservation. We hope Southwestern will invest in soil relocation to preserve one of our most endangered habitats, and spread it to the added preservation.

The Environmental Studies Department is excited for the new development but of course will miss our dear host for rest and relaxation, and place for research across many courses including soil science, animal behavior, and land restoration.

Our recommendation is very much embodied by our updated approach to the care of EcoLab, love it till its gone. We still host classes and clubs there, experience wildlife, and connect to nature there, despite knowing soon our meadows will be buildings soon.

If you’ve never been, we would strongly recommend it. The best time to visit is early morning to perhaps catch a sighting of a White-tailed Buck, Egret, or Eastern Phoebe. Another great time to visit is during the spring, when the fields are flush with wildflowers in every color, and butterflies are active.

To get there from Southwestern University, starting at the light on maple, take a left to head east on University Avenue, then take another left onto Smith Creek Road, also known as County Road 188. This will be a rocky road, and soon you will see the entrance of EcoLab to your left.

See you there!