The Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway (ODCMG) is a registered 501 (c)(3)non-profit education and conservation organization that was founded in the year 2000. Our purpose is to connect people with nature through outdoor education for the benefit of wildlife and the conservation of the natural world. Since 2000, the organization has served more than 200,000 children and adults through outdoor education and recreation programs. More than 75,000 people annually visit ODCMG sites to walk the trails and view the wildlife. Thanks to the 2009 merger of the Outdoor Discovery Center and Macatawa Greenway Partnership the organization now protects over 1,200 acres along the Macatawa River in Ottawa County and a 150 acre nature preserve in Fillmore Township.The Macatawa River Greenway project is an effort to protect the banks, floodplain forest, marsh, meadows and wetlands along the Macatawa River, the communityâ??s main river. By protecting this continuous corridor for wildlife and plant habitat, the Greenway also significantly improves the quality of the waters flowing into Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan. Throughout the Greenway, visitors will find wildlife viewing platforms and overlooks allowing visitors to view and explore the diverse Macatawa River environment.The ODC Nature Preserve is free and open to the public and offers many diverse programs that help foster the concepts of wildlife management, conservation, outdoor education and preservation. Programs include: snowshoeing, live birds of prey, Michigan hunterâ??s safety, fishing, sensory nature walks, bird watching, ecosystem studies, archery, pond studies, summer camps, wildlife studies and exploring Michiganâ??s cultural past. In all of its educational programs, the ODCMGâ??s inquiry-based style of programming allows students to learn about and experience nature and culture in a hands-on manner.