You're invited: Summer Solstice Reunion, June 25!

Calling all past and present campers, staff, volunteers, CITs, interns, board members, and donors. We're throwing a party - and YOU are invited!

Join us on Saturday, June 25th from 4:30-7:30 PM at Leigh Farm Park for our inaugural Summer Solstice Reunion. Reunite with old friends, make new ones, and celebrate the start of summer as we eat good food, play camp games, and share our love of nature connection.

This is a potluck celebration, so bring your favorite snack, side dish, or dessert! We'll provide hamburgers and hotdogs (including vegan options) and grill them for everyone to enjoy.

Please RSVP below to let us know if you'll attend. Friends, family members, children, partners, and well-behaved leashed pets welcome!

This event is FREE to all past and present PWC community members, though we will gratefully accept donations. In case of rain or other inclement weather, we will gather on Sunday, June 26th instead. We can't wait to see you!

5 ways to help box turtles this World Turtle Day

May 23rd is World Turtle Day! We're all about eastern box turtles here at Piedmont Wildlife Center. If you are too, here are five ways you can help this declining species:

#1: Donate to box turtle conservation

Support our box turtle conservation and research efforts by donating at GlobalGiving. Your recurring or one-time donation helps us keep our radio telemetry equipment in tip-top shape, get more people involved in our Triangle Turtle Trekkers citizen science project, and share our research findings with other members of the Box Turtle Connection and beyond.

#2: Don’t purchase a box turtle as a pet

Make a commitment not to buy box turtles as pets or remove them from the wild. The pet trade is a major contributor to eastern box turtles’ status as a species in decline. Not only is it illegal to take box turtles from the wild in NC, but it causes stress and also removes individual turtles from the breeding pool - which means there will be fewer wild turtles in the future.

#3: Become a citizen scientist

Help monitor box turtle populations in NC as a citizen scientist through PWC’s Triangle Turtle Trekkers. Spot a box turtle in your yard, favorite park, or place of business? Snap a photo and upload your sighting to turtletrekkers.org!

#4: Help turtles cross the street safely

If you see a box turtle trying to cross the road (and it's safe to do so), help them across in the direction they're headed. Please don’t put them back on the side of the road they came from, or relocate them to another location. Box turtles have a strong homing instinct and will turn right back around! Don’t worry if there are no ponds, lakes, or streams nearby - box turtles are terrestrial (land-dwelling) turtles and don’t live in water.

#5: Build wildlife habitat in your yard

If you have a yard, consider turning part of it into wildlife habitat for box turtles and other native animals! Make a plan to grow native plants and establish brush piles to encourage box turtles to live in your garden.

3 ways to support PWC this Valentine's Day

Want to show your love for wildlife, outdoor education, and nature connection this Valentine’s Day? Need the perfect gift for your favorite nature enthusiast? What about a lunchtime date idea for you and that special someone? We’ve got you covered!

Read on for 3 easy ways you can support Piedmont Wildlife Center and our mission of connecting people and nature during this season of love.

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#1: Enter our “Love at First Flight” raffle

Share your love for wildlife (and that special someone) by entering our “Love at First Flight” Valentine's Day raffle! Prizes include:

• “Love at First Flight” nature bundle for two

• “On the Fly” private raptor tour

• “Paws on the Porch” hands-on animal encounter (NEW!)

Tickets start at 10 entries for $10. The more you buy, the more you save! Entrants who purchase $50+ of tickets towards one prize will receive a FREE PWC t-shirt of their choice as a special thank-you gift.

All donations go towards the care of our Ambassador Animals and help us provide the best possible educational programs. Raffle closes at 11:59 PM EST on February 14th. Winners will be announced February 15th.

#2: Join a Pop-Up Birds of Prey Tour (February 14th)

Whether you can’t stop “raven” about your partner or you think Valentine’s Day is for the birds, our Pop-Up Birds of Prey Tours are the perfect way to celebrate!

Join us on February 14th at 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM for a 45-minute walking tour of our raptor enclosures. Along the way, you’ll learn about the 7 raptor species who call PWC home – and even have the chance to meet a bird of prey up close!

Pre-registration required, $10/person. Masks required as per our agreement with our partner, Durham Parks and Recreation. Space is limited!

#3: Vote for PWC in Hulafrog’s Most Loved Awards by February 4th

It’s that time again: Voting for Hulafrog’s 2022 Most Loved Awards is underway!

The Most Loved Awards recognize the best local resources for kids and families in hundreds of communities across the country, including the Triangle! If you’re local, show your love for PWC by voting for us in the All Around Camps category!

Voting ends next Friday, February 4th. We are so grateful for your support!

In Memory of: Ash, the Screech Owl

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Ash, the eastern screech owl. We were shocked by his passing and ultimately decided to have a necropsy performed to help us understand the cause of death, which was determined to be renal (kidney) failure. Ash has been an Ambassador Animal at Piedmont Wildlife Center since 2018, and he will be sorely missed.

Ash was a tiny owl with a big attitude and proved that if you want to give someone the “stink eye”, you really only need one. And according to Sam, our Office Administrator, he resembled a grizzly old sea captain when he was molting. Despite the injuries he sustained before arriving at PWC, he remained an active, charismatic bird throughout his time with us.

Ash touched so many lives as an Ambassador in our programs and provided once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to observe a rather reclusive owl species. We would love for you to share any memories or photos you have of Ash. If you’d like to make a contribution in Ash’s honor, you can donate to the Gail E. Abrams Wildlife Ambassador Fund.

Thank you all for making Ash’s life a special one.

#pwc #ncwildlife #ambassadoranimals #piedmontwildlifecenter #easternscreechowl #nonprofit #donate

Befriending wizards at the Magic & Mischief Market

Ash visiting students at the UNC School of Business Wellness Fair

Help us change lives in 2022

We hope you and yours are happy, healthy, and excited for the holiday season! During the many challenges of 2021, we are so grateful Piedmont Wildlife Center has been able to stay open and connect so many people with nature. Your support allows us to continue our unique, deeply impactful work.

As we approach the New Year, we want to share some of the things you have helped us accomplish in 2021. Read on to hear stories from our education and conservation programs, and learn how you can help us change even more lives in 2022.

Nate’s Story

Mountain Quest backpacking trips are some of our most special programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for kids to maintain a sense of community and forge new friendships.

One teen experiencing this challenge was Nate, a 14-year-old Otter Clan camper eager to adventure into the beautiful Wilson Creek Wilderness Area. He learned how to carry only the essentials on his back, work with his team to set up camp, build and cook over a campfire, and follow Leave No Trace practices.

Best of all, Nate connected with his peers and learned about himself. Nate’s mother shared...

“[Nate] had an amazing time! I could tell he felt a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. We cannot thank you enough for this memorable experience and for keeping all the kids safe in their adventures. I haven't seen Nate this happy in a long time. Our deepest appreciation and gratitude.”

Young Wildlife Scientists at W.G. Pearson

In October, Grace Bowman, PWC’s Research & Husbandry Coordinator, started a pilot program with students from Durham’s W.G. Pearson STEAM Elementary School to study the eastern box turtle. Observing PWC's resident box turtles up close, a student named Sun lit up at the sight of our Shelly’s permanent smile! Others began offering up burning questions: “Can they get out of their shells?” “How old can they live to be?”

Grace hid box turtle shells along the school’s nature trail for the students to find. Some met the task with worry. Demarquez lamented, “I can’t even find the TV remote!”

Grace reassured him, “In my experience, kids are much better at finding box turtles than adults. You’re lower to the ground, where they’re hiding in plain sight.”

Sure enough, within minutes each group had found the camouflaged shells. Grace’s heart is so full knowing dozens of local kids now understand the threats box turtles face — and possess the skills to help monitor them.

All Because of You

Together, we can reach and engage even more young people in outdoor exploration and real-world conservation efforts. Our community’s financial support helps fund scholarships, our collaborative Triangle Turtle Trekkers pilot program, and so much more. This year, we were able to provide 14 summer camp scholarships, keep our 25 Ambassador Animals healthy, run afterschool programs, hire new staff, and host outreach events.

We could not do any of this without your support. Your year-end gift will make an invaluable impact…

$1,500, or $125 a month, provides annual preventative exams for all 25 of our incredible Ambassador Animals, ensuring they are happy and healthy for years to come.

$400, or $33.33 a month, gives an up-close encounter with our amazing Ambassador Animals to underserved kids in a Title 1 classroom, empowering them to conserve the environment we share.

$350, or $29.17 a month, gives a scholarship recipient a transformative experience like Nate’s at one of our camps.

$300, or $25 a month, gives Parsley our domestic rabbit a fresh bag of hay each month.

$70, or $5.83 a month, provides one radio transmitter for our eastern box turtle monitoring study.

So Many Ways You Can Help

Please give. As a small nonprofit organization, we rely on supporters like you to continue our vital work connecting people with nature. We need your support now more than ever.

You can support us in so many ways…

Become a PWC monthly donor. Being a monthly donor is convenient—and makes a huge difference. Visit our donation page and choose the “Monthly” option under “Choose amount.”

Donate when you holiday shop through Amazon. Go to smile.amazon.com and select Piedmont Wildlife Center from the list of charitable organizations. PWC receives a donation of 0.5% from all eligible purchases, at no fee or extra cost to you.

Check out our Amazon wish list at www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/donate. Your purchase of supplies for our Ambassador Animals or our programming will be sent straight to us.

Be an advocate for PWC. Share our mission with family and friends. Like and share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Leave us a glowing Google review. You don’t have to give money to contribute to our cause!

Remember...you are the reason so many people can come to PWC and develop a profound, life-long love of nature, wildlife, and conservation. Our goal for 2022 is to continue our efforts, plus add new programs and fun family events. Your contribution makes our vital work possible.

Thank you for being part of our community, and for every way you support us. With love and gratitude from our family to yours, we wish you Happy Holidays!

Executive Director Karen McCall and the PWC Board of Directors