August 08, 2012

I write each week about the outdoors and the wonders of Adirondack natural history which attract so many people to this region. After all the Adirondacks offer amazing places to explore. This week, however, I'm writing about a place where the outdoors is brought inside. The Wild Center is the natural history museum of the Adirondacks, and offers programs for all ages. It is a great place to learn and explore rain or shine, and it is located in the Village of Tupper Lake.

Kendra and Katie - Buzzzfest
Wild Center naturalist Kendra Ormerod (right) and seasonal naturalist Katie Morgan try eating grasshoppers - with very different reactions! - during BuzzzFest, a Wild Center event centered around insects.
The museum's exhibits take visitors through glaciers to Adirondack ponds, bogs, and forests, accompanied by naturalist-led programs and films in the theater. Kids will love the amount of hands-on activities. Try your own skill at identifying the scent of beaver or sweet gale, and be sure to check out Planet Adirondack, the new exhibit that debuted this summer. Planet Adirondack is an interactive sphere on which the museum's naturalists display everything from weather patterns (for instance you can learn more about Hurricane Irene) to the planets. More and more data sets and programs are being developed for the technology that runs the sphere, so there is no end to what can be explored using it.
Planet Adirondack
Planet Adirondack is one of the newest exhibits at The Wild Center - here showing a program on hurricanes.

But for all the great – and informative – exhibits, the high point for many visitors are the animals. The large aquaria are full of Adirondack fish of many species, making any angler jealous. Perhaps you can take a picture by the tank and tell the folks back home that this big fish was the one that got away. Reptiles and amphibians are also well-represented, and visitors can look for wood, painted, Blandings, and spotted turtles, as well as garter snakes, American toads, and spring salamanders. These are joined by wood ducks – this year with a small raft of babies – and, the highlight for many folks, the river otters which call The Wild Center home. Watching the naturalist-led otter enrichment activity each day is always a great time.

And, while all these species and many more are part of the exhibits and on display all the time, many other animals are brought out for special daily programs. Then visitors can see and learn about animals such as red-tailed hawks, American kestrels (a small species of falcon), common ravens, barred owls, or even porcupines or the newest addition to the museum's menagerie, two striped skunks (don't worry they're descented). I can tell you first hand that the skunks are really cute. Not all of these animals make an appearance every day, so if you are interested in learning which animals will be used that day, call The Wild Center before you come at 518-359-7800.

Bullfrog - ATBI event
A Wild Center naturalist holds up a bullfrog during the recent ATBI event in Saranac Lake. Naturalists from The Wild Center helped both with biological surveys and public programs during the event.

Like so many places in the Adirondacks, the fun doesn't stop inside. The Wild Center has several easy-to-walk trails which wind through a series of habitats for visitors to explore. A favorite hike of many is to walk to the overlook of the Raquette River oxbow. The oxbow is also the location of the canoe trips offered each day from 2-4 all summer. You can join The Wild Center's expert naturalists for one of these paddles by signing up ahead of time (recommended, they are popular), or on the day you arrive at the museum.

Added to these daily adventures are off-site trips the museum offers, like birdwatching trips to Whiteface Mountain and Bloomingdale Bog, as well as special days and events held on-site. For example, BuzzzFest, an event focused on insects, had folks of all ages buzzing on July 4th, and the upcoming FlavorFest event will take place next week on Thursday, August 16th. FlavorFest will be a day filled with fun, games, programs – all centered around yummy local food. I fully plan on attending and sampling everything! So bring your family to The Wild Center for an exciting and fun-filled time. For more information, go to www.wildcenter.org. 

Kendra and Katie - Buzzzfest
Wild Center naturalist Kendra Ormerod (right) and seasonal naturalist Katie Morgan try eating grasshoppers - with very different reactions! - during BuzzzFest, a Wild Center event centered around insects.
Planet Adirondack
Planet Adirondack is one of the newest exhibits at The Wild Center - here showing a program on hurricanes.
Bullfrog - ATBI event
A Wild Center naturalist holds up a bullfrog during the recent ATBI event in Saranac Lake. Naturalists from The Wild Center helped both with biological surveys and public programs during the event.

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