Meet Up With Nature
From Archery to Photography, Book Clubs, Wildflower Gardening, and More! We've got a club that's perfect for you.
Bring your family and friends to our unique, nature-themed events at the Great Plains Nature Center. Learn about the ecosystems, natural history, and wildlife of the Great Plains while enjoying the amenities of Wichita, KS.
Join the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center and enjoy reciprocal benefits at over 150 nature centers and zoos across the USA and Canada.
Make a difference at the Great Plains Nature Center. Use your skills and enthusiasm for environmental conservation and education, and make new friends along the way!
This Week at the Great Plains Nature Center:
Join the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center and our partners at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge as we combine digital forces to raise awareness and help grow community support for wildlife conservation. Sign up and enjoy the Great Plains Nature Center's Chisholm Creek Trail from dawn to dusk between October 8th and October 14th to do a self-guided nature walk. We will have interpretive signs set up along the route to get you 5K (3.1 miles) and learn a little more about the flora and fauna found in our park. If you can’t visit us that week, the distance can be completed anywhere at your own pace and your own preferred method of getting outside (run, bike, swim, kayak, hike etc.). Let's get moving!
Generous Event Support Is Provided by:
Calling all art fans! We're delighted to share that we've received a $7,100 grant from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission in support of an Outdoor Mural by Artist, Delilah Reed. We're over 80% to our 1:1 match goal, but we need your help to make this mural a reality. If you want to volunteer with taking time-lapse photos, videos, errand-running, or fund her most needed supplies, make your mark on this project today!
Stroll through nature trails at the Great Plains Nature Center, purchase a glass of wine from Grace Hill Wineries, and watch as throngs of Wichita artists let their creativity flow. Each artist will create original art, live, throughout the park. Meet, greet, and enjoy! This interactive, outdoor event is designed to appreciate the beauty of native Kansas wildlife. Appreciate nature, art, and community during the golden hour sun from 4PM to 7PM at the Great Plains Nature Center on Saturday, October 14th.
Generous Event Support Is Provided by:
Our Linking Children to Nature Educational Programs serve over 58,000 students and 11,395 "at-risk" youth every year free of charge. Supporters include these organizations and corporations.
Thank You for changing lives and supporting nature conservation and education in Wichita, KS.
Our Mission
The Great Plains Nature Center is a cooperative project between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, City of Wichita, and the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center nonprofit organization. These Partners share a common goal of providing opportunities for the public to investigate, understand and develop an appreciation for wildlife and the environment, while promoting sound stewardship of natural resources.
Our Vision
To inspire stewardship of the natural world through exceptional experiences to benefit future generations