Nature for All

Our Beliefs

All people should have access to nature.

We are all caretakers of our natural world.

All people should engage in active and integrated learning to understand our environment and how to preserve it.

Accessibility

ODC Network is dedicated to making programs and spaces accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to everyone.

Listed are just a few ways ODC Network actively promotes accessibility and inclusivity.

If you would like to request an ADA accommodation or provide ADA feedback or comments our staff are ready to help. For assistance with these ADA requests and feedback, Contact Us.

ADA-Compliant Trail System

We offer approximately 0.5 miles of ADA-accessible trails at the Outdoor Discovery Center, making it easier for all visitors to enjoy nature.

ODC Scholarship Fund

Through the ODC Early Childhood Network, we provide financial assistance to families attending our preschools. In 2024 alone, we awarded $1.1 million in scholarships and financial support to ensure that all children have access to nature-based early education.

ODC Camp Fund

We believe every child should have the opportunity to experience summer camp. The ODC Camp Fund offers financial assistance to campers, helping them attend one of our enriching camps.

Education Network

Our Education Network team brings nature-based curricula to K-12 schools, ensuring that all students, including those who may not have access to our sites, can experience the benefits of connecting with nature.

Bilingual Signage and Programming

At the Outdoor Discovery Center, we provide bilingual signage and programming, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all visitors.

Cultural History Center

ODC’s Cultural History Center offers educational programs that explore the history and culture of indigenous peoples, helping students and the wider community gain a deeper understanding of native traditions and heritage.

Our Policy

The ODC Network (ODC) strives to incorporate the principles of diversity as one of its core organizational values. Achieving and engaging diversity among our Board of Directors and staff is critical for our organization in order to represent and serve the West Michigan community(s) of which we are a part. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments, reinforced by our values, are embedded in our day to day working practices with all our customers, stakeholders, team members, and community members.

We will Demonstrate This Commitment By:

Promoting equality of opportunity and diversity within the West Michigan communities in which we work and with all our partners and workforce.

Aiming to build a workforce which reflects our customer base, within the diverse West Michigan communities in which we work, with the aim of having parity of representation across our Board of Directors and staff.

Encouraging recruitment from groups currently under-represented in our organization.

Treating our customers, stakeholders, partners and team members fairly and with respect.

Promoting an environment free from discrimination, bullying and harassment, and addressing behavior which contradicts our policy;.

Recognizing and valuing the different individual contributions that people make.

Providing support and encouragement to staff to develop their careers and increase their contribution to the organization through the enhancement of their skills and abilities.

Building Board membership requirements and best practices that guide and promote our Board of Directors to accurately reflect and represent the demographics of our Ottawa and Allegan County community as a whole.

Our goal is to ensure that these commitments, reinforced by our values, are embedded in our day to day working practices with all our customers, stakeholders, team members, and community members.

If you have questions about ODC’s commitment to providing Nature for All or would like to provide feedback about ODC’s accessibility, please email our Compliance Coordinator.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

The ODC Network recognizes that we educate and recreate on the traditional homelands of the Three Fires Confederacy of Bodewadmi (Pottawatomi), Odawa (Ottawa), and Ojibwe (Chippewa) peoples including relatives with fins, wings, legs, scales, and roots. As learners, conservationists, and educators, our network has a responsibility to recognize and respect both the Land on which we live and teach, and the Indigenous communities whose traditions and identities are grounded in these Lands and Waters. We want to offer this acknowledgment with positive intent to honor our living relationships with the Anishinaabeg and their ways of knowing to better inform future generations.

ODC Network