Professor Howard Jennings Nature Preserve

The area’s scenic beauty, with its streams, hiking trails, and forests, will be preserved and protected for years to come for the benefit of the entire community.

Keystone College established the Professor Howard Jennings Nature Preserve in 2010 in honor of long-time faculty member Howard Jennings. The College dedicated a portion of its beautiful Woodlands Campus as a nature preserve and it will not be developed in any way.

The Woodlands Campus is an extremely valuable educational resource for Keystone students, providing a perfect area for scientific and environmental studies. Few colleges in the nation offer students such a pristine natural environment for education and recreation.

The Woodlands Campus was first established in 1965 as part of a land agreement with the Seamans family and has been an integral part of the Keystone campus and an invaluable asset to the local community ever since. Over the years, thousands of people have hiked the trails to experience nature at is finest, and have enjoyed wonderful opportunities for fishing, photography, and simply relaxing.

In 1976, the first hiking trail was built by the Keystone Science Club and maintained by the club for years. In 1986, the scenic 135-foot suspension bridge behind the Miller Library was built and the suspension bridge near Bailey Field was constructed in 1987.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s additional trails were developed, thanks to the hard work by Professor Jennings and others to secure a variety of important funding grants. Since then, the trails have been constantly maintained and improved because of the diligent work of Professor Jennings and many Keystone students. Now, those areas will be preserved as a valuable natural and recreational resource and members of the Keystone community and public will have the chance to contribute to their upkeep as a fitting testament to the dedicated professor who made it possible.