We are delighted to welcome our newest educator, Christina Gilbert, who joined our staff in early January. Christina is a Minnesota native and recently completed her masters in environmental education from the University of Southern Oregon. She will be conducting outreach programs in the schools, guiding field trips at the Nature Center, and providing public programs on a wide range of topics. Right now, our inbox is filled with requests from teachers looking for spring program dates. 

Another area of Nature Center operations that does not close down in the winter months is our Wildlife Clinic. Our phone continues to ring with calls about injured wildlife. Winter is a particularly difficult time for raptors (hawks and owls), as it becomes difficult for them to find food. They often hunt the roadsides, which provides raptors with greater visibility when it comes to food, but it also puts them at greater risk of being hit by a passing car. Thus far this winter, we have taken in red-tailed, red-shouldered and Cooper’s hawks, a barred owl and an adult bald eagle. We also hired a weekend wildlife rehabilitator, former volunteer Rachel Wojciak, enabling us to provide full coverage in our clinic seven days a week. Our Wildlife Clinic is pleased to again be able to take injured birds of prey, as we were forced to stop taking these birds in the spring of 2022, due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This summer, utilizing funds provided by the generosity of several foundations and other organizations, we were able to begin renovating a shed to be used as a quarantine facility in which to house these birds. Without such a facility, we could not take the chance of infecting our resident birds with this virus, for which there is no treatment or vaccine.

Roaring Brook Nature Center's Spring Fever Vacation Program and Summer 2024 Discovery Days

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