Founded and established in 1967, the Thurston Nature Center (TNC) is the oldest environmental education center in America. Home to over 160 species of birds, 80 species of trees, frogs, turtles, butterflies, microbes and more, Thurston Nature Center is a student-created outdoor environmental lab that was originally led by Dr. William Stapp. Founder of environmental education, Stapp had made numerous contributions to environmental education such as founding the North American Association for Environmental Education and working for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, in addition to establishing the Thurston Nature Center.
“Dr. William Stapp created TNC before he coined the phrase “environmental education” in a published book. For 60 years we have worked as a community to maintain this space for its wildlife and create educational opportunities for students,” Praveena Ramaswami, Chair of the Thurston Nature Center Committee, said, “It is a gem for the district, our community, our city, and our country. It is a haven for wildlife in an urban setting and its impact on them is great.”
In recent years, the quantity of the student body at Thurston Elementary has continued to increase, leading to the lack of building space at Thurston. The solution presented by the AAPS school district and board was the construction of a new school building in the area of the TNC. However, some concerns presented by Thurston parents include negative effects towards current Thurston students’ learning, over the fact that construction sites are existing next to active school children, as well as the loss of playgrounds, forest habitat, soccer fields, and bus and car routes.
“Many members of the Huron community are alumni of Thurston and/or Clague, giving them some familiarity with the nature center. It’s actually where I first became really interested in the environment!” junior Luke Bunnell, president of the Huron Green Team, said.
As a strong advocate for the current situation of the ongoing construction at the Thurston Nature Center , Green Team has taken measures such as writing to the AAPS Board of Education for an alternative construction plan that hopes to preserve nature.
“As the plan for construction is ongoing, we are monitoring the situation as it develops,” Bunnell said, “The board has not shown much progress but we stay optimistic that the advocacy of ourselves and the community will lead them to reconsider.”
As of Feb. 13 2025, the Ann Arbor community is continuing with their efforts against the construction plan for the Thurston Nature Center.
“Hundreds of comments and emails have been sent. A parent-led group called LetThurstonPlay.com has over 1K signed petitions and a majority of Thurston teacher letters in opposition that they led efforts in,” Ramaswani said.
Bunnell explains how students and younger members of the community are able to reach out and advocate.
“Write to the board! AAPS seems to really value the voices of its youth, especially high schoolers, so any advocacy is helpful,” Bunnell said.
In opposition to AAPS’ plans to build new school buildings in the Thurston Nature Center area, the AAPS school board, state representatives, and AAPS community members have created a petition, shown below.
