Education

Conservation education programs take place for children and adults in the AWC Nature Center.  Programs are by reservation only. You must make a reservation to come. Most groups are limited to 12 people due to our small size.  

Our Nature Center combines wildlife art, a wide selection of wildlife-themed picture books, and many hands-on exhibits for young children or the young-at heart.  In addition, our wildlife partners live here.

All of our permanent animals were once patients, and due to their injuries were unable to be released back to the wild. They are under special education permits from the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the federal government. They include a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects,  including a bat colony and one of Maine’s only captive Bald Eagles.

 Once a rehabilitation patient arrives, it goes into one of our rehab rooms for examination and treatment.  The public is not allowed to see the patients, as they need a quiet, stress-free environment to recover.  Babies that are brought to us need to be protected from human interaction so that they may grow up wild and be releasable.

Our education partners in the Nature Center are particularly chosen and trained carefully, so that they are accustomed to our visitors. We ask that visitors respect our partner’s needs for quiet voices, and recognize the wild in all of them. Seeing these animals up close is an incomparable experience.

Donation List of Gifts in Kind that are always welcome:

Pick a Size Bounty Paper Towel

Unscented Kleenex

Unscented HE Laundry Detergent

409 Spray

Huggies  Natural Baby Wipes

Apples, organic Spring Mix, organic berries, carrots, unshelled Sunflower Seeds

Un-frayed towels, handtowels, washcloths, and small polar fleece blankets,

polar fleece hats, receiving blankets