You helped raise $5,173 for nature connection!

Our hearts are full this season. With help from nature lovers like you, our Autumn Adventures online auction raised $5,173 for our environmental education and conservation programs. That's 103% of our $5,000 goal!

Whether you contributed an auction item, placed a bid, bought something, donated, or just spread the word, thank you for sharing your love for wildlife with us last month. We're so grateful for your support - and excited to put your generosity to work connecting people with nature!

Winners will receive an e-mail from our staff this week with details about receiving or redeeming your item/experience. Thank you, again, for your support. From our team to you, we hope your autumn is full of adventure!

With gratitude,
Your friends at Piedmont Wildlife Center

Join us in "howling" one final THANK YOU to our 2023 auction sponsors: Haw Honey, Deep Roots Natives, Rachel's Native Plants, NewSoil Vermiculture, Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Eno Animal Hospital, Domestic Doodles, Wellsport Bodyworks, Sarah Haggerty Consulting, The Lift Fly Fishing, Sweet Serendipity, Arachne Weavings, and Leaf & Wing. Go support these incredible local businesses this season!

Our Autumn Adventures auction is open through Sept. 30th!

Leaves are changing, the weather's getting cooler... and adventure is calling!

Autumn Adventures, Piedmont Wildlife Center's annual virtual auction, is back for 2023 - and better than ever! From a weeklong stay at a private beach house in North Myrtle Beach, to handcrafted treasures from local artists, to native plant bundles that will transform your yard into a wildlife wonderland, we've curated a truly "wild" selection of items that will ignite your curiosity, creativity, and wanderlust all year long.

Bidding will take place entirely online and run from September 21st through September 30th. Winners will be notified October 1st. Help us meet our goal of $5,000 - enough to build a brand-new raptor enclosure!

All proceeds directly benefit Piedmont Wildlife Center, an IRS-designated 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Durham, NC, and support our camp, conservation, and wildlife research programs.

Community Spotlight: Arisa Fourie

School is back in session - and so is Homeschool in the Wild, Piedmont Wildlife Center's unique outdoor program for homeschoolers ages 5-17! Help us celebrate the person who's been working extra hard to make this season the best one yet. Meet Arisa Fourie, our new Homeschool & CIT Coordinator!

Arisa grew up in New York and moved to North Carolina three years ago to attend North Carolina State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. An avid hiker, skier, and swimmer, she loves being outside and helping others experience the natural world. Her favorite animal? The ostrich!

Arisa is no stranger to Homeschool in the Wild. In fact, she joined PWC in 2022 as a counselor for that very program! She loves giving our homeschool campers opportunities to explore nature at their own pace, especially at Pawpaw Creek and other cool spots around Leigh Farm Park.

"I'm excited to continue to connect kids with nature as the new Homeschool and CIT Coordinator," Arisa says. "I was a counselor for the last few seasons and am ready to continue to help the program thrive and grow."

We're excited, too, Arisa! We can't wait to see how much our Homeschool in the Wild campers, counselors, and CITs (Counselors-In-Training) will grow and learn under your leadership.

In Memory: Otus the Eastern Screech Owl

We are heartbroken to share that Otus the eastern screech owl passed away this month. At 13 years old, Otus was one of Piedmont Wildlife Center's oldest raptor Ambassadors. Otus's expressiveness and big personality proved that amazing things do indeed come in small packages.

Otus was found in 2009 as a juvenile in Wilkes County, unable to fly after colliding with a window. Upon examination at Carolina Raptor Center, he was found to have a fractured left humerus that did not heal properly. His injury left him unable to fly, which meant he couldn't be released into the wild. Instead, he came to PWC in 2010, where he soon became one of our most beloved Ambassador Animals.

Otus went on countless school programs and outreach events during his time at PWC, including visits to the NC State Fair. Most people who have any connection with PWC met Otus at some point. He was absolutely a staff and volunteer favorite, and was the closest thing PWC has ever had to an "unofficial mascot"!

In the wild, eastern screech owls live to be about 8 or 10 years old, and many only live to be 2-5 years of age. In human care, that lifespan can be expanded to about 11 to 13 years. Otus lived exceptionally longer than he would have in the wild with his injuries - a testament to our Conservation Team and raptor volunteers' dedication to giving him (and all our Ambassador Animals) a healthy, enriched life.

Thank you to everyone who provided care for, sponsored, taught programs with, or just stopped to say hi to Otus over the last 13 years. We want to extend a special thank you to Dr. Emma Bogerd at Willow Creek Animal Hospital for providing care to Otus in his last moments. Dr. Bogerd had worked with Otus as one of our conservation interns in summer 2016. It brought our team great comfort to know that our little buddy had a friend with him at the end.

Whether you were here when he arrived in 2010, or just met him at a program this year, we would love to hear your favorite Otus memories in the comments below. If you feel moved to make a one-time or recurring donation in Otus's memory, you may do so at https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/donate.

Here's to Otus's legacy of wildlife education and conservation. Otie, we hope you're flying high in the sky and catching all the mice on the other side.

PWC Voted Best Summer Camp & Best-Kept Secret in Durham

You came through for us, friends: Piedmont Wildlife Center is officially the Best Summer Camp AND Best-Kept Secret in Durham County, according to INDY Week's 2023 Best of the Triangle awards! We were also a runner up for Best Kids Non-Profit in Durham County.

We're so humbled by the support you've shown us this year. Awards like this aren't just bragging rights. They help us connect even more people with nature by raising awareness of our mission and reaching new audiences who will benefit from our life-changing programs.

Whether you nominated us, voted for us, or simply spread the word, thank you. A small non-profit like PWC is only as strong as our community - and lucky for us, our Piedmont family is the best around!