New from Summer 2023! Click the arrow to watch the video on the Thurston Nature Center Hummingbird Butterfly Rain Garden. For more info, see this page on our website and see the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commission on rain gardens.
Goats came to the Thurston Nature Center September 12-21, 2020 to help us control invasive plants. CLICK HERE TO get details and see photos
Welcome to the Thurston Nature Center. We are located just north of Thurston Elementary School on Prairie Street and on the south side of Bluett Road, across from Clague Middle School in northeast Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan.
The Nature Center is managed by the volunteer Thurston Nature Center Committee, a subcommittee of the PTO at Thurston Elementary School. A Land Use Policy Statement was agreed upon in 2003.
The area is enjoyed by many people in the community, and school classes have used the nature center as part of Ann Arbor Public Schools’ Environmental Education Program for decades. Fall and Spring Workdays help with trail maintenance and weed control.
Special Designations
The Thurston Nature Center was dedicated as a Conservation Education Reserve by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 1968.
In 2010, the Thurston Nature Center became a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat.
Enjoy photos of the Thurston Nature Center’s birds, trees, and flowers.
Award: On March 28, 2019, Thurston Nature Center received the Washtenaw County Environmental Excellence Award for Water Quality Protection. See the News and Events page to read the citation on what TNC has done to protect Thurston Pond, Miller Creek and the Huron River.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools has a news article about TNC, Thurston Elementary, and this award on their District News page.
