You’ve heard people say they’re “going to the Arb.” But where exactly are they going? And were you supposed to know what an arb was this whole time?
If you’ve been nodding along without knowing the answer, we’ve got you.
The Lillian Anderson Arboretum, usually called “the Arb,” is a 140-acre natural area with five miles of trails, managed by K’s Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center. There are woods, meadows, wetlands and plenty of reasons to put your laptop down for a little while. Here’s something you might not know: it’s actually part of K’s campus. Your campus just extends a little farther than you might have realized. You’ll find the Arb at 7787 West Main Street in Oshtemo Township, away from the main campus.
But how did K end up with all this land?
We have an alumna to thank.
Lillian Anderson graduated from K in 1926. In 1982, she donated her family’s farm property to Kalamazoo College and the First Presbyterian Church. With her approval, K gained full ownership in 1998 and established the Lillian Anderson Arboretum in her honor. Two years later, financial support from Dr. and Mrs. H. Lewis Batts helped the College add another 31 acres along the property’s eastern boundary.
Today, that gift gives students and the wider community a place to explore, learn, and take a breather.
So, can you just go there? Absolutely.
The Arb is free and open to the public every day from dawn to dusk. No admission ticket needed.
And if your sense of direction is mostly “I think we came from over there,” there are maps for that.
You can find the Arb’s trails through the free AllTrails app by searching “Lillian Anderson Arboretum,” or download a map from the Arb’s trail maps page. Maps are also posted throughout the property. Before heading out, take a look at the visitor policies, and stay on designated trails while exploring.
But sometimes, a trip to the Arb is also a trip to class.
The Arb serves as one of K’s living learning laboratories, giving students a place to ask questions and investigate what’s happening around them.
This fall, students in Climate Biology visited the Arb to develop their own research projects. One group investigated whether the number of bugs they observed differed between morning and nighttime.
That was my group. If you’d told me I’d be counting bugs for college credit, I would’ve had a few questions. Now I have data.
And there’s a lot to learn from it. Students get to develop a question, decide how to collect evidence, and figure out what their results might mean. They also get to experience what happens when research leaves the textbook and heads outside, where the bugs do not necessarily cooperate with your plans.
Of course, you don’t need a research question to enjoy the Arb.
“I need a break” is a perfectly good reason to visit.
On Saturday, October 3, the Environmental Stewardship Center hosted an Arb Walk, bringing students together to explore the trails, spend time with friends, and step away from the school week.
Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need: somewhere to walk, something other than a screen to look at, and a little room to slow down.
There’s research behind that feeling, too. The American Psychological Association reports that time in nature is associated with benefits for thinking, mood, and emotional well-being. So that urge to get outside after staring at an assignment for an hour? It might be worth listening to.
You don’t have to walk all five miles. You don’t have to identify every tree. You can bring a friend, choose a trail, and enjoy being somewhere where your next assignment isn’t the main attraction.
And if your first thought is, “But I don’t have time…”
We get it. The term gets busy.
But before you rule it out, maybe check your screen time.
Your next study break could have better scenery.
Written by: Romina Viramontes-Vargas K’28, Environmental Stewardship Intern
Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center
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