Earthplace facts for kids
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| Formation | 1958 |
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| Headquarters | Westport, Connecticut |
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Executive Director
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Tony McDowell |
Earthplace is a special non-profit organization in Westport, Connecticut, USA. It teaches people about the natural world and how to live in a way that protects our planet for the future. This is called sustainability. Earthplace helps kids and adults learn about animals, plants, and how to take care of our environment.
Contents
Discovering Nature at Earthplace
Earthplace has many exciting things to see and do. It's a great place to learn about local wildlife and how important it is to protect nature.
NaturePlace: Interactive Learning
The NaturePlace is like a fun museum room. It has cool displays you can touch and explore. You can also watch videos about nature. There are five special displays called dioramas. These dioramas show animals and plants from Connecticut in different seasons and habitats, like forests and wetlands.
Animal Hall: Meet Rescued Animals
In the Animal Hall, you can meet many animals that were rescued. These animals are called "species ambassadors" because they help teach people about their kind. They include amazing birds like bald eagles, hawks, and different types of owls. You might also see turkey vultures and a black vulture. Some reptiles, like a box and wood turtle, live here too. These animals cannot go back into the wild because of their injuries. Earthplace also has friendly domestic animals, like rabbits, ferrets, and guinea pigs, that are part of their educational programs. They even have Madagascar hissing cockroaches!
Hiking Trails: Explore the Outdoors
Earthplace has a huge nature sanctuary that covers 62 acres (about 25 hectares). It's the biggest open space in Westport! You can walk on many trails that go through different natural areas. You'll see wetlands, ponds, streams, thick forests, and open meadows. While hiking, you might spot rabbits, chipmunks, deer, box turtles, wild turkeys, bullfrogs, wood frogs, and many kinds of birds.
Native Plants Courtyard
Near the entrance to the hiking trails, there's a beautiful Native Plants Courtyard. It was designed in 1960 to show off plants that naturally grow in southwestern Connecticut. You can see plants like bloodroot, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, and even prickly pear cactus. There is also a bronze statue of a mother bear and her two cubs by the famous animal sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington.
Protecting Our Environment
Earthplace is very active in helping to keep our local environment healthy.
Harbor Watch: Monitoring Water Quality
One important program at Earthplace is called Harbor Watch. Scientists and volunteers work together to check the water quality of local streams and rivers. They collect water samples and test them in a special lab. Harbor Watch also keeps an eye on young fish that live at the bottom of the Norwalk Harbor. This helps them understand how healthy the water is for all living things.
Learning and Education Programs
Earthplace offers many ways for kids and families to learn about nature.
Earthplace Preschool and Camps
The Earthplace Preschool has been helping young children learn about the world since 1967. It's a highly respected school. Earthplace also runs a popular summer camp program where kids can explore nature. They offer after-school programs and special activities for scout groups too.
Earthplace History
Earthplace started a long time ago in 1958. It was part of a movement to create more science and nature museums across the United States. A famous naturalist named John Ripley Forbes helped start many of these places.
The organization first opened in 1961 as the Mid-Fairfield County Youth Museum. In 1973, its name changed to the Nature Center for Environmental Activities. Then, in 2002, it became Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center. In 2007, Earthplace received a generous gift of 22 acres of wetlands, adding even more natural space to its sanctuary.
See also
- John Ripley Forbes
