Teaching Marsh, Pine Jog Environmental Center

Garden Club of Palm Beach late member Elizabeth Kay and her husband, Alfred, purchased Pine Jog Plantation in 1946 where they grew flowers, fruits and vegetables. The Kay’s long-term vision for the land included establishing a creative teaching center as a way of engaging children in nature as a means to keep them connected to the living world. In 1960, the first phase of the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center was built with the purpose of providing education programming which fosters an awareness and appreciation of the natural world, promotes an understanding of ecological concepts and instills a sense of stewardship of the earth.

In 1973, the Founders Fund Award permitted the expansion of a pond ecosystem and marsh as a valuable study area for students to come to understand the interdependence of various plants and animals living in a typical South Florida habitat. This Teaching Marsh is an integral component in the relationship between Pine Jog and the Palm Beach School District. Each year, thousands of young and adult learners explore the dynamics of freshwater systems; they dip nets to study live organisms adaptation for aquatic survival and map their role in the food web. They travel along the marsh boardwalk to study the biodiversity of wetland plants along the way.

Pine Jog’s interactive outdoor classroom continues to be on the cutting edge of best practices in environmental education fulfilling the Kay’s goal of “opening windows to the natural world.”