This New Year’s Day, Piedmont Wildlife Center will have another reason to celebrate. January 1, 2023 marks 20 years since the Durham-based environmental nonprofit first opened its doors.
Piedmont Wildlife Center (PWC) was founded in 2003 by veterinarian Dr. Robert Schopler as a wildlife hospital. After treating countless animals in the center’s first 6 years, Schopler and his successor Gail Abrams realized education was key to preventing the kinds of human-wildlife conflicts that brought animals to rehabilitators in the first place.
“After years of surgeries on fractured shells and broken wings, I realized that empowering people to protect our environment has a much bigger benefit,” says Schopler. “What good does it do to fix a bluebird’s wing or nurse a baby squirrel to maturity if there are no wild places for it to return to?”
In 2009, PWC closed its hospital and reorganized to focus on environmental education and conservation. It has since reached thousands of children, teens, and adults through its award-winning outdoor camps, classes, and educational wildlife programs. The center currently cares for 26 non-releasable Ambassador Animals, including many hawks, owls, reptiles, and mammals native to North Carolina. PWC also contributes data on eastern box turtles to the statewide Box Turtle Connection study, and encourages the public to get involved through their Triangle Turtle Trekkers citizen science project.
For Karen McCall, PWC’s current Executive Director, PWC’s biggest success over the last 20 years has been inspiring kids and teens to connect with the natural world. “Watching the kids in our camp and conservation programs light up with curiosity, I see them beginning to connect with nature as I have,” McCall says. “Their self-confidence grows, and they eagerly share what they’ve learned with their parents. Most importantly, I see these children growing into stewards of our environment.”
The wildlife center will celebrate its 20th birthday at its 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, January 20, 2023. The event will be held at the Durham Armory from 7:30-10:00 PM. Guests can look forward to live bluegrass music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and raffles, animal meet-and-greets, and more, sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Carrboro Coffee Roasters. Tickets start at $100/person and may be purchased at www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/20th-anniversary-celebration.
