The Nature Center is a living museum of plants and animals native to the Appalachian region whose purpose is to increase public awareness and understanding of all aspects of the natural environment of Western North Carolina through hands-on and sensory experiences. The education philosophy of the Nature Center is to interpret the natural environment of the region in a holistic manner, treating each organism or environmental factor as a component of the overall ecosystem. Our goal is to foster understanding of the Southern Appalachian bioregion in order that individual components of the ecosystem, including humans, may be seen and understood in the proper perspective.

Each year we welcome 100,000 visitors - of which 30,000 are school children attending the Nature Center in conjunction with their classroom curriculum. We offer a wide variety of educational programs. During the summer we offer our summer camp series to children of all ages. During the school year, educational programs such as Life of a Frog, Nature at Night, Avian Species, Insects, Down on the Farm, Wildlife Tour, and Snakes and Turtles, offer a multitude of learning opportunities about the rich heritage of the Southern Appalachian Region. Additionally, the WNC Nature Center is one of 28 facilities in the country participating in the red wolf re-introduction program.

The Nature's Center's current involvement in butterfly conservation includes education on backyard butterfly gardening through a partnership with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation. We have a butterfly garden on the grounds with signage to provide general butterfly education to our visitors. We offer an insect program for school groups with a portion devoted to butterflies. In previous years, we have hosted a "Bug Day" special event that included butterfly topics. In October 2003, we developed and hosted a Butterfly Workshop for the public in which we drove out to a Department of Transportation site and captured and tagged Monarchs. We also tag Monarchs on-site.

back to BFCI Members and Contributors

Interested in Becoming a Partner or Member?

Interested in joining the BFCI? We welcome inquiries from conservation organizations, and AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums

Please or call 301-562-0777, x263.