You could say that Jennings Environmental Education Center in Brady Township grew out of a slender prairie flower not commonly found in Pennsylvania.

Native to prairie states farther west, the blazing star caught the eye of a young botanist traveling between the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and Presque Isle in Erie. Otto Emery Jennings, who started as a janitor at the museum before climbing the ranks to become its director, later told audiences that he first noticed the blazing star in 1905.

What Jennings stumbled upon was more than a prairie flower. He discovered a remnant prairie that had survived from a period 5,000 years ago, when Pennsylvania’s geography featured more open spaces.

A teacher at the University of Pittsburgh, Jennings often took his students on field trips to the prairie and was instrumental in helping preserve the site.

In 1952, the Butler Garden Club donated money to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to buy the 20-acre plot that eventually became Jennings Environmental Education Center.

Over the years, more land was acquired and preserved. In 1980, Jennings became a state park. Today, it encompasses 300 acres centered on the only protected prairie in Pennsylvania. It is the easternmost prairie in the nation and is also home to the rare massasauga rattlesnake.

“So what started out as a small, 20-acre effort to preserve the blazing star bloomed into something much more,” said Wil Taylor, Jennings park manager since 2011.

Today, Jennings offers a diverse array of environmental education and recreational programs. Each year, it serves more than 167,000 visitors, 280 schools, 11 colleges and universities, and numerous civic organizations. Educational programs are age-specific and emphasize discovery-based, hands-on learning.

Jennings Environmental Education Center has made a lasting impact on generations of families, students and the broader community.

Slippery Rock University is among the 11 higher education institutions that partner with Jennings, using the preserve as a living classroom.

Becky Thomas, an associate professor of parks and conservation in SRU’s biology department, has worked with Jennings since she began teaching there in 2015. Having moved from Colorado, she is no stranger to prairies.

“Jennings provides access to a unique, place-based educational setting,” she said. “Visiting the site and engaging in hands-on practice in collaboration with park and resource management professionals instills within students a respect and appreciation for the unique local natural resources that make Western Pennsylvania such an incredible place to live, work and play.”

Thomas’ students complete semester-long projects, conduct field research, participate in internships and build professional relationships with park staff. The prairie offers a rare opportunity for experiential learning.

“The prairie ecosystem provides a ‘living lab’ for students to learn firsthand about things like endangered species management, native plants and insects, and the effectiveness of various land management strategies, such as prescribed burning,” she said. “The prairie is also a local gem. It’s something we can be proud of, something we can connect to as residents of this place.”

The Jennings staff — five full-time employees, a handful of seasonal workers and hundreds of volunteers — also works extensively with school-age children, from preschool through high school.

To stay relevant to every generation, the center incorporates technology into its programs. For example, students can use iPads loaded with software to test water samples or identify birds, insects and trees.

“It’s more adventuresome-type programming,” Taylor said. “We do storybook trails for kids and we’re constantly trying to incorporate things that are current into how we interact with the public.”

Each March, students in kindergarten through sixth grade can participate in maple sugaring activities. Junior high and high school students can investigate coal and abandoned mine drainage or learn map reading, compass use and orienteering.

It’s hard to say how many children were inspired to pursue related careers following at visit to Jennings, but Taylor noted that many former interns and employees now work at state parks or serve as teachers who incorporate lessons from Jennings into their classrooms.

David Johnson, the first park manager at Jennings, was one of Otto Jennings’ students and visited the site with the park’s namesake during college field trips. Now retired, Johnson continues to volunteer at the center.

Jennings also supports teachers by helping them integrate new science and literacy standards into their curricula. Staff assists educators in designing inquiry-based ecological field investigations and student-led research projects.

“I think we’ve had a tremendous impact on environmental education,” Taylor said. “We’re one of the only environmental education centers of our kind in the area. We provide some very unique programming here.”

Jennings offers much more than structured education.

Visitors can explore 5 miles of trails that wind through diverse terrain and habitats. Taylor encourages hikers to stay on designated paths and keep pets leashed to avoid disturbing the shy but venomous massasauga rattlesnake.

Families can enjoy picnics on the grounds while admiring the vibrant flora — especially the blazing star, which blooms in late July and early August. These lavender flowers rise in dense clusters on 4- to 6-foot stalks and attract a variety of wildlife including butterflies, moths, birds, amphibians and small mammals.

Visitors can observe wildlife — small mammals, birds, amphibians, butterflies and moths — in the prairie and the forest that covers three-quarters of the park.

Visitors also can step back in time at a historic one-room schoolhouse — and soon, at the Old Stone House across the street, which Jennings is in the process of acquiring.

In addition to ongoing programs, Jennings hosts events throughout the year, often in partnership with other organizations.

“We work with our local tourism industry very closely to try to develop events that span throughout the county,” Taylor said. “We’re part of a schoolhouse tour. We participate in the Jeep festival and get people up here.”

One of the center’s signature events is Celebrate the Bloom!, held the last Saturday of July. This year’s celebration, scheduled for July 26, wasn’t tied to a specific anniversary, Taylor noted, since the establishment of the center occurred in stages. Still, the event showcases Pennsylvania’s only prairie through guided hikes, demonstrations, local artisans, food vendors and live music.

Looking ahead, Jennings has ambitious goals. In addition to acquiring the Old Stone House, there are plans to double the size of the prairie. The center will need to tap its strong base of volunteers from groups like the North Country Trail Association and the Butler Outdoor Club.

“So, the vision is that we’re going to expand our footprint to being historically based and providing historical interpretation and museum opportunities,” Taylor said. “That will pair nicely with our one-room schoolhouse that’s already currently operating as a historical interpretive site.”

Thomas plans to continue incorporating Jennings into her teaching for years to come.

“I hope that my students will someday be able to return to Slippery Rock with their own families in 20 or 30 years and know that the research they conducted when they were students helped to inform conservation practice in a way that ensured that those resources were still around for future generations to enjoy.”

Now that’s a legacy to be proud of.

This article originally appeared in the August edition of Butler County Business Matters.