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'The Avian Campaign'
New bird habitats will be open to visitors year-round

Throughout its 23-year history, Nature’s Nursery has only been open to the public five times each year, at its seasonal open houses. All that is about to change! A new 8-unit bird building, which will house our larger education birds, is planned as the first phase of our new “public area,” which will be open to visitors during regular hours year-round.

“We could not be more excited,” says Board of Trustees President Steve Wagener. “This new building will contain micro-habitats that will reflect the birds’ natural environments, and visitors will be able to view them close up.”

In 2006, Nature’s Nursery moved from the private property of its founders to the Blue Creek Conservation Area, owned by the Metroparks. At that time, a master plan was laid out that identified the caging facilities we would need to meet our present and future needs. These projects were based on growth projections that have turned out to be very accurate. We now regularly take in more than 2,000 animals each year, and our requests for education programming continue to increase, as well.

Funds for the 8–unit bird building will be raised through a capital campaign, called “The Avian Campaign,” which will be introduced to Nature’s Nursery’s members and the public early this spring. The other project that will be covered in The Avian Campaign will be completion of the remaining two units of the large flight cage, which was started in 2007.

                   Check out our 'Avian Campaign' video on YouTube!
                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqlQM_1B-E

“Due to the great number of birds of prey that we rehabilitate, we find we often have the need for more than one flight cage unit at a given time,” explains Laura Zitzelberger, director of operations. “This cage allows us to test the flight skills and hunting ability of rehabbed birds of prey before they are released back into the wild — a critical step in the rehabilitation process. In 2007, we built the first phase of our three-unit flight cage. We now need to complete the second and third units.”

“We are at an exciting juncture,” Development Director Erica Miley says. “The Campaign Steering Committee, made up of members of our Board of Trustees and respected community leaders, has enthusiastically stepped up to support these initiatives. We are raising significant leadership gifts right now, and we’re certain we will have a successful campaign with the help of our members and supporters.”

There are two ways you can help!

To make a pledge to be paid over the two-year campaign period, click here to access our pledge form.

To make a PayPal donation now to The Avian Campaign, click here:

Thank you for helping us reach new heights!

We do not list our physical address to avoid animals being dropped off while no one is at the office. Those animals have very little chance of surviving when we are not available. If you have an animal to bring to us please call 419-877-0060 for directions and an appointment time.


Found an animal? Click here to see if it may need help. Never handle any bat that you have found, or allow children to come in contact with it. If you do, the animal will have to be destroyed so that it can be tested for rabies.


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Visit our Upcoming Events page for opportunities to visit Nature's Nursery.


Nature's Nursery receives no tax dollars, United Way funding, or financial support from the Metroparks. We are funded primarily through memberships and donations. To make a PayPal donation to help support our work with injured and orphaned wildlife, please click this link:

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