Irvine Nature Center
The Irvine Nature Center is a non-profit environmental education organization whose mission is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, to increase awareness of environmental issues, and to encourage individuals to sustain earth's ecosystem.
Description:
Irvine Nature Center is situated on 116 acres of woodlands, wetlands and meadows in the Caves Valley area of Baltimore County. Surrounded by 1,200 acres of land held in conservation easement, this is the ideal property on which to live out our mission of inspiring appreciation and respect for the nature world. Our facility features many indoor and outdoor spaces we invite you to explore.
Indoors, our state-of-the-art, green facility employs a number of "green" features using U.S. Green Building Council LEED guidelines as a frame of reference. Some basic green measures are the use of local materials -- reducing the amount of energy used and emissions produced in acquiring the materials -- and the use of recycled and salvaged materials, which reduces waste and emissions related to producing the materials. We have also used many durable, low-maintenance materials. With consideration for the health of the building's many users, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) products have been specified (including paints, carpets, fabrics and adhesives). Using these low VOC materials for new construction and remodeling projects can significantly reduce the emission of smog-forming compounds and thus promote better air quality.
The installation of a green roof reduces cooling and heating energy consumption with the vegetative surface. This leads to reduced energy costs: a one-story green roof structure can cut cooling costs by 20-30%. Green roofs also extend the life of the roof by providing enhanced membrane durability -- double or triple its life, to fifty years or more. Green roofs also have a number of environmental benefits, including absorbing and filtering pollutants from rainwater, reducing runoff flow rates, and absorbing CO2. In addition, they provide habitat for wildlife and can provide acoustical insulation.
Geothermal heat pump systems -- also known as "geoexchange" -- use the earth's energy storage capability to heat and cool buildings, and to provide hot water. According to the EPA, geoexchange systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. Geoexchange heating and cooling systems can reduce energy consumption -- and corresponding emissions -- by more than 40% compared to air source heat pumps and by over 70% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment.
In closed loop geoexchange systems, water or antifreeze solution is circulated through plastic pipes buried beneath the earth's surface. During the winter, the fluid collects heat from the earth and carries it through the system and into the building. During the summer, the system reverses itself to cool the building by pulling heat from the building, carrying it through the system and placing it in the ground. This process creates free hot water in the summer and delivers substantial hot water savings in the winter.
Pervious paving materials permit water to enter the ground by virtue of their porous nature, or by large spaces in the material. Pervious paving areas facilitate groundwater recharge. Pervious paving can accept runoff from roofs and adjacent parking areas and allow it to infiltrate the ground. It can also reduce the need for curbs and gutters as drainage features. Pervious paving decreases runoff issues, including erosion which occurs off of a typical parking lot after a rain event.
Other features include waterless urinals, low flow fixtures, rain barrels and more. For more information on our facility contact Buildings and Grounds Manager, Wally Vait This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
History:
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 1,200 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.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (410) 902-8210
Address:
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11201 Garrison Forest Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.ExploreNature.org
| Last updated on January 21, 2010 |
