That year, the Board of Directors decided that a new, highly visible focus on education was needed, and that the best way to reach more people, adults and children, was to build a center in an easily accessible place that also had a wide variety of habitat - including fields, forests, wetlands and rocky shore - to present a lively cross-section of the state's biodiversity.

Ten years after its official opening in July 10, 2000, Audubon's Environmental Education Center remains a state-of-the-art natural history museum and aquarium offering many environmental wonders to explore.

It features interactive exhibits of local habitats, mirroring the creatures and ecology one might encounter as they explore outside. Visitors peer inside a 33-foot, life-sized Right Whale and learn about its unique history as well as the dangers it faces today. Families discover colorful and thriving sea life in a living tide pool. Birders with binoculars and field guide in hand witness the glory of spring migration. Summer campers pull seine nets through the water and discover life at the shore. Children climb off their bikes and search for turtles and frogs in the brackish marsh adjacent to the bike path, and nature enthusiasts of all ages regularly walk the winding trails and boardwalk to Narragansett Bay.

Moreover, there is a plethora of educational programs to choose from, such as weekend events, after school programs, summer camps, and adult lectures. The Center is also a frequent destination for school field trips, as well as a place for home-schoolers to enhance their education.

There is no question that the Center is a living, breathing testament to Audubon's philosophy that conservation begins with education.

Audubon

Nature

Discovery

Pack

Go ahead and explore those special places around the state with Audubon's own Nature Discovery Pack.

Take a nighttime stroll, search for salamanders, explore a salt marsh, or discover the rocky shore of Narragansett Bay.  With the Audubon Nature Discovery Pack you'll learn about the varied habitats and creatures that call Rhode Island home.

The Nature Discovery Pack includes:  Audubon Natural Cotton Sport Sack, Audubon Wildlife Guide, Nature Journal with Pen, Outdoor Activity Cards, 6 x 33mm Binoculars, Magnifying Lens Magnifying Bug Box, Carabineer Compass, Nature Activity Bandana, Animal Tracks Guide, Tick ID card , Poison Ivy ID card, Leave No Trace hiking guidelines, Lip Balm & Band Aids, Hand Sanitizer, #1 Bug Catcher Medal, Pen and Seeded Bookmark.

Order Yours While Supplies Last!

How did you spend your play time as a child? Did you go outside and explore the "woods"? While there, did you play capture the flag, hide ‘n' seek, or maybe build a fort? For most adults, the connection to nature began with similar, positive, childhood experiences.

By contrast, today's children are spending less and less time playing outside than in years past; however, they do spend an average of four hours each day watching TV and playing video games. In addition, parents concerned for the safety of their children further limit their outdoor activities. Some schools have even eliminated recess.