Nolde Forest State Park

About Nolde Forest State Park

The Nolde Wald Environmental Education Centre is organising an environmental education programme in the park on Saturday 9 April from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The upcoming educational programmes will also be open to the public on Sunday 1 May and Monday 2 July, from 10.45 a.m. to 3.15 p.m. and from 12.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. during the day.

Office and villa parking is open from 9: 30 to 17: 00 during the day, and all other areas are open seven days a week between sunrise and sunset. The center is covered by the Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, a public park in the middle of the park.

When the cattle baron Jacob Nolde acquired the area in the early 20th century, a single white pine was growing in the forest. Inspired by the tree, he hired an Austrian forester to create a coniferous forest, and as the plantation grew, it became a luxury forest that brings joy and pride to the family.

In 1926 Hans Nolde's son Jacob began building a Tudor house and when it was completed that year, it overlooked a sawmill, a pond and the lights of Reading. Today, more than 100 years after its creation, the Noldere Forest still offers visitors the opportunity to move outdoors.

In the late 1960s, the estate was bought by the Commonwealth with funding from Project 70. The funds needed for the development of the Centre were made available through Project Bond 500.

Since the Centre's inception, the Bureau has dedicated itself to environmental education and interpretation and now operates four environmental education centres and offers many seasonal programmes across the Commonwealth. The Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center works in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (DNR). In the 1970s, a group of students from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology helped establish Noldse Forest as a model for the development of a Massachusetts state park with a focus on conservation and environmental protection. Our offices, which today operate four environmental education centres, are dedicated to the development of healthy environmental ethics.

Since the early 1970s, the Centre has been offering a wide range of activities and programmes aimed at training students in environmental education and interpretation and environmental sciences. A normal school day brings together several classes and students to participate in discoveries and problem solving.

Together, teachers and students explore various aspects of the environment and develop concepts and skills that help them become effective environmental decision makers. While each season brings its own highlights, programs for the public are conducted by staff, guests and resources. The center is sponsored by the National Park Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Teaching stations offer students a variety of ways to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Nolde Forest covers an area of more than 2000 hectares in the northern part of the park. A network of trails makes it a popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers, birdwatchers and hikers alike.

Nolde House houses the office and staff centre, and at the north end there is a walkable path through the forest to the main entrance to the park.

Next to the property there is a garden with native wild flowers and year-round there is an indoor area - whether indoors or outdoors.

Schools and groups should plan learning experiences as far in advance as possible and contact the Centre for more information about planned activities for their school group.