Jennings Environmental Education Center

Jennings offers a full range of educational programs. A unique attraction at the center is its relict prairie, which includes the spectacular and well-known prairie flower, the blazing star. The relict prairie ecosystem is rare in Pennsylvania. Visitors should try to visit in late July or early August when the pairie is in full bloom. Jennings Environmental Education Center is one of several state parks specifically dedicated to provide environmental education and interpretation to the community. A variety of programs are available for children, teachers, and the general public that increase knowledge and awareness of the beauty and importance of our natural resources. By taking some time to explore Jennings through its trail network or community programs, visitors can enjoy the outdoors while learning the skills needed to be good stewards of Pennsylvania’s outstanding natural resources.

Jennings provides a unique combination of prairie and forest, which offers a wide array of resource and education opportunities. One of the park’s main features, the 20-acre prairie ecosystem, is home to distinctive prairie plants and the endangered massasauga rattlesnake. The most noteworthy and spectacular prairie flower is the blazing star. Jennings was the first reserve established in Pennsylvania to protect an individual plant species and remains the only public and protected prairie in the Commonwealth.

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Directions - Weather  - Environmental Education  - Calendar of Events  - Trails  - Winter Report  - Accessibility  - History  - Otto Emery Jennings  - Wildlife Watching  - Nearby Attractions  - Volunteers  - Rules and Regs  - In an Emergency  - Contact Us  - Downloadables and Maps

Park Advisories

Directions

The Center is 12 miles north of Butler, PA on PA Route 528. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, for hiking and other nature-related activities. Door-to-door MapQuest driving directions courtesy of visitPA.com.

Environmental Education

Pre-school  - Elementary  - Intermediate  - Secondary  - College  - Teacher Training  - Special Events  - Special Populations  - Public Interpretive Programs 

Jennings is committed to providing a diverse array of environmental education and interpretive programs. Programming is offered year-round to schools, civic groups, and the community. Each year over 167,000 visitors, 280 schools, 11 colleges and universities and a number of civic organizations are served by the Jennings Center. Educational programs are age-specific and generate learning through discovery and a hands-on approach.

A schedule of community programs is available at the center. School programs can be arranged by calling the center at 724-794-6011.

Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.

Pre-school - These programs combine sensory awareness, discovery learning, storytelling, and nature crafts to help preschoolers learn and experience their environment during each season.

Elementary - (K-5) - Children are actively involved in the environment around them. Emphasis is placed on the student’s imagination and the power of observation.

Intermediate - (6-8) - Programs are centered on exploring the environment using a scientific approach. Students are responsible for collecting and analyzing data.

Secondary - (9-12) - Programs emphasize critical thinking and problem solving skills while fostering an appreciation for the environment. Jennings offers Watershed Education, and programs on topics like acid mine drainage, problem solving and biodiversity.

College - Jennings provides a number of programs for students with a wide range of backgrounds. Internship opportunities are available for students seeking degrees in environmental education, resource management, biology and other related fields.

Teacher Training - A variety of natural history and curricula workshops are available to teachers. These workshops are designed to provide information and ideas that can easily be integrated into the classroom.

Special Events - Jennings provides special programming on a variety of topics, including maple sugaring, environmental scout day and earth week.

Special Populations - Students with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities participate in programs adapted to meet their special needs.

Public Interpretive Programs - Community programs present various environmental topics in an informative and entertaining way through slide presentations, trail walks and public workshops.

Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.

Legacy of the Land

The Paleo-Indian People were the first humans in the area. Arriving about 15,000 years ago, these nomadic hunters followed the retreating face of the glacier in search of wooly mammoths and giant ground sloths. The constant pursuit of these giant animals is believed to have helped force the animals to extinction. Little is known of the early cultures that inhabited the area after the Paleo-Indian People.

By the end of the 16th century, the Seneca Nation of the Iroquois Confederation controlled the area. Dependent on agriculture, the Seneca used fire to open areas to plant crops, which may have helped sustain prairie openings.

Trade and travel were an important part of American Indian culture. The Venango Trail lies beneath PA Route 528, a major road dividing the park. The trail connected Pittsburgh to Franklin and was traveled by a number of historic figures like Tecumseh, George Washington and Lafayette.

The 1800s brought an influx of settlers who altered the landscape and depleted the resources through lumbering, agriculture and hunting. Once the resources above the ground were exhausted, a new generation looked below the surface. Coal mining became a booming industry during this era. While mining provided a needed source of energy, techniques of that day left significant scars on the land.

At Jennings today, it is hard to see the scars from previous uses of the land. As educators, the Jennings staff strives to help people understand that we continue to be a product of our environment and need to make informed decisions concerning the immediate and long-term effects of our actions. The decisions we make today on how to use the land will leave our legacy for future generations.

The Faces of Change

A million years ago, Jennings looked dramatically different than today. Glaciers, water and climate have all played a part in changing the face of the landscape.

Immense glaciers scoured the earth removing soil and exposing bedrock. Fine sand, silt and clay particles from glacial meltwater settled in prehistoric lakes, forming new soil. Changing climate conditions resulted in a warm, dry period, which allowed prairie plants to extend from the Midwest into Pennsylvania. Gradually the climate became cooler and wetter, more closely resembling our weather today. Eventually, through succession, forests replaced all but a few prairie sites in Pennsylvania.

The Jennings prairie remains due to a thick layer of impermeable clay that prevents most tree species from becoming established. Plants and animals that do live on the prairie must tolerate shallow soils, fluctuating periods of drought and saturation, and fire. Even under these harsh conditions, this ecosystem teems with life.

Otto Emery Jennings

The Center is named in honor of one of Pennsylvania’s most renowned botanists, Dr. Otto Emery Jennings. It is said that Dr. Jennings explored western Pennsylvania with the “energy of a pioneer” and acquainted many with the botanical treasures he encountered.

Dr. Jennings first discovered the prairie in 1905. He was influential in the purchase and protection of the area by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, a private conservation group. The Conservancy was instrumental in establishing environmental education at Jennings.

By teaching others to appreciate Pennsylvania’s unique natural areas, Dr. Jennings helped to ensure that this and other special areas would be preserved for future generations. Almost a century later, we continue to teach others in this tradition.

Access for People with Disabilities

If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
888-537-7294 (TTY)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)

Nearby Attractions

For information on nearby attractions, contact the Butler County Tourism Promotion Agency. www.visitbutlercounty.com

In an Emergency

Contact a park employee or dial 911.
For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the center office.

Nearest Hospital:
Butler Memorial Hospital
911 East Brady Street
Butler, PA 16001
724-283-6666

For More Information Contact:

Jennings Environmental Education Center
2951 Prospect Rd.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057-8701
724-794-6011
Manager: David Johnson

E-mail: jenningssp@state.pa.us
An equal opportunity employer

Make online reservations or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, for state park information and reservations.

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