Earthplace facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center
Type	Natural history museum, nature center and wildlife sanctuary
Location	10 Woodside Lane Westport, Connecticut, USA
Area	62 acres (25 ha)
Created	1958
Designer	John Ripley Forbes

Earthplace is an exciting nature center in Westport, Connecticut. It's a place where you can discover and learn all about the natural world around you. Earthplace helps people of all ages build a love for nature. It also teaches us how to protect our planet for the future. This special center combines science, nature protection, and education. It offers many ways to experience and learn about wildlife and the environment.

Discover Nature at Earthplace

Earthplace has many cool features that help you explore nature up close. It's a great spot for families and students to learn something new every day.

The Natureplace Museum

The Natureplace museum room is full of fun, interactive displays. You can enjoy hands-on activities that teach you about animals and plants. There's also a small video theater where you can watch nature films. You'll see five large dioramas here. These are like 3D pictures that show animals and plants living in different parts of Connecticut. They change with the seasons and show various natural places. Next to this, the Smilow Family Ecology Resource Lab offers even more nature exploration. It even has a diorama of common backyard birds.

Amazing Animal Ambassadors

Earthplace is home to a wonderful collection of rescued wild animals. These animals are called "species ambassadors." They help teach visitors about their kind. You might see majestic bald eagles, powerful hawks, and interesting turkey vultures. There's also a black vulture, a small kestrel, and several types of owls. You can also meet a box turtle, a wood turtle, a black rat snake, and even little brown bats. These animals cannot go back into the wild because of their injuries. Earthplace gives them a safe home.

Some friendly domestic animals also live at Earthplace. They are part of public programs. These include rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, and even Madagascar hissing cockroaches! One very popular animal was Barney, a large Burmese python. He lived at Earthplace for over 26 years.

Explore the Wildlife Sanctuary

Earthplace protects a large, beautiful wildlife sanctuary. It covers 62 acres and is the biggest open space in Westport. You can walk along many trails that wind through different habitats. You'll see wetlands, peaceful ponds, flowing streams, and thick hardwood forests. There are also sunny meadows. While walking the trails, you might spot rabbits, chipmunks, deer, and box turtles. You could also see wild turkeys, mink, bullfrogs, coyotes, wood frogs, and many kinds of birds.

Native Plants Courtyard

Near the entrance to the main trails, you'll find the Native Plants Courtyard. It was designed in 1960 to show off plants that grow naturally in southwestern Connecticut. Here, you can see plants like bloodroot, trillium, and jack-in-the-pulpit. Other plants include wild ginger, Solomon's seal, yellow lady's slipper, and even prickly pear cactus.

Mother Bear Statue

A large bronze statue of a mother bear and her two cubs stands near the main trails. This beautiful artwork was created by Anna Hyatt Huntington. She was a famous sculptor known for her animal statues.

Caring for Our Environment

Earthplace is very active in protecting our local environment. They run important programs that help keep our natural world healthy.

Harbor Watch Program

The Harbor Watch program at Earthplace helps monitor the quality of our water. Staff scientists and volunteers work together. They collect water samples from local streams and rivers. These samples are then tested in a special laboratory at Earthplace. Harbor Watch also keeps an eye on young fish populations in the Norwalk Harbor. This helps them understand the health of the harbor.

Wildlife Rehabilitation (Past Program)

In the past, Earthplace had the Mary Eason Swett Wildlife Rehabilitation program. This program rescued hundreds of local injured animals each year. The main goal was to help these animals heal and then release them back into the wild. This program was active until 2011.

Learning and Growing at Earthplace

Earthplace offers many educational programs for people of all ages. These programs help everyone learn more about nature and science.

Earthplace Nursery School

The Earthplace Nursery School has been teaching young children since 1967. It is a licensed school that helps little ones learn about the world around them.

Junior Staff Program

The Junior Staff program started in 1961. It's a special program for middle and high school students. It focuses on natural science education and community service. Students learn about different environmental topics each year from naturalists. Over 500 young people have been part of this program. It helps them grow personally and learn important skills.

Other Educational Programs

Earthplace also runs an accredited summer camp program. They offer fun after-school activities. School groups and scout groups can also visit for special educational programs.

A Look Back at Earthplace's History

Earthplace was founded in 1958. It was part of a movement to create science and nature museums across the country. John Ripley Forbes, a famous naturalist, helped start many of these centers.

The center 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: the 22-acre Partrick Wetlands open space. This added even more natural land for people to explore and protect.

Images for kids

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  Mother Bear and Cubs, bronze statue by Anna Hyatt Huntington