Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve — Attraction in Fort Wayne

Gets really pretty when things start blooming. I love coming down here to see and photograph the wildlife you don't often see anywhere else in Fort Wayne, this place is truly a gem. It's unfortunate the majority of people who come here are ignorant about the goal this place has and the things it helps achieve. One thing that annoys me the most is that no one respects the no dog signs. Today I saw 4 people walk their dog, and even saw a group let their dog poo right in front of the no dog sign which was pretty funny. Not so funny how they didn't pick it up though. What really got on my nerves was a lady letting her dog spook the birds out of the water, she literally went with her dog towards the small body of water to get a kick out of it. I dont think a lot of people realize that this is a nature preserve, not your regular park. Having dogs around makes the wildlife (mostly the birds) fly off and I miss a lot of good photos because of this and ruins the overall scenery. They want to choose this place, out all places to let their dogs cause mayhem as if there is no where else in FW to do that. 🤦🏽‍♀️Not to mention the amount of trash laying around. It's really unfortunate that the majority of people don't respect this place for what it is. Other than that, this place can be very beautiful and an interesting time for anyone who likes to explore nature, go...

(SEE EDIT, BELOW) Eagle Marsh is an absolute gem in the city. There are miles of trails through marsh, forest, prairie, and along a manmade embankment with long views. We see tons of wildlife every visit.

Edit Sept 2023: I am not going to change my review for the marsh itself, as it is amazing, and the current program team works so hard to do great things for the community. But as a former supporter of the nonprofit that runs it, I think people should know that it has a major leadership problem and they should tread cautiously when deciding to support. They have churned through severely underpaid and overworked employees for the several years I have volunteered and donated there, and leadership seems to be the cause from what I witnessed. I hope all the volunteers signing on to a letter this time about the terrible and unfounded firing of a beloved volunteer coordinator will move the board to actually do something.

The nonprofit that owns it, Little River Wetlands Project, holds weekly programs for all ages and offers lots of ways to volunteer, like work parties to plant or fight invasive plants, citizen science projects, and leading hikes or talks for families or school kids. It's my favorite place...

the nature and wildlife never disappoints, it’s always the humans… the guy at the gate was super helpful and friendly. however the woman we encountered at the Nature Center with our dogs was a different story. we had been in the car for a good twenty minutes because we didn’t bring cash and had to leave and come back.. our dogs instantly needed to relieve their bladders (both girls btw) not even 30 seconds into our walk a woman came out with a very condescending tone telling us to pick up after our dog that didn’t go number 2… we told her she just peed and she again with a condescending tone and at this point smug smile said “well it looks like she took a poop!” we were immediately judged as soon as we stepped onto the property.. it stuck with us our whole walk, which really bummed us out. but other than that it’s a good little hike. our pups were happy at the end and that’s all...