The Saint Michael’s campus covers 440 acres in suburban Colchester and Essex, but until recently, most of the college community experienced a small fraction of this total. Starting in 2016, the College began paying closer attention to the 340 campus acres surrounding the academic campus and opening the area up for exploration and learning.

The Natural Area is undeveloped and includes wetlands, sandplain forest, floodplain forest, and fields to explore. A small portion of this area is occupied by our solar array, compost facility, waste-water pumping station, geothermal infrastructure to heat the newest campus building, and salt, mulch, and topsoil staging necessary for maintaining the grounds.

The vision for this property is to restore and improve natural habitats in this area while expanding research, education, and recreational opportunities for the college community.