McDowell Nature Center and Nature Preserve

Discover local biodiversity and natural heritage through hands-on experiences in the natural world.

Preview your trip on the web: McDowell Nature Center and Nature Preserve

Learn more

• Backyard Wildlife Habitat An online resource provided by the National Wildlife Federation to help individuals create a thriving habitat in their own backyard using informative articles and an online habitat planner.
• NatureWorks Learn about animal adaptations, habitats and interdependence or go straight to the facts about North American animals and birds.
• Lesson plan: Investigating local ecosystems Students use the Internet to investigate the habitats of local plants and animals.
• eNature.com Includes a field guide with over 5,000 species, a habitat gallery of places for wildlife near you, migration information, an ask-the-expert area, and more. You can also listen to an audio clip of the bird of the day!
• Lesson plan: Animal adaptations Students participate in classroom discussions about animals.

Related pages

• Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center: This 4-H Educational Center provides year-round programming, including team-building and environmental education to students in 2nd through 6th grades.
• Carolina Beach State Park: Developed in the late 1960s, this state park preserves the unique environment along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Venus Flytrap and other plant life, the dunes, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are all protected in this special place.
• Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education: Students will learn the importance of North Carolina's wildlife resources at this environmental education facility.

Related topics

• Learn more about Lake Wylie, North Carolina, amphibians, biodiversity, biology and life science, birds, composting, ecosystems, environmental education, habitats, mammals, native plants, reptiles, and science.

Legal

This Nature Center serves as the gateway to the 1108-acre McDowell Nature Preserve and is the source for educational programs and information on the Preserve’s flora, and fauna. The oldest preserve in Mecklenburg County, it has been left 90% undeveloped and protects mostly forested, terrain along the banks of Lake Wylie. It preserves a habitat for 119 species of birds, 21 species of mammals, 21 species of reptiles, and 14 species of amphibians.

McDowell Nature Center offers a variety of environmental education and nature interpretive programs to the general public, schools, teachers and other organized groups. Observe nature in action at a National Wildlife Federation certified Backyard Garden, which includes bird feeding stations, native plant gardens, and a demonstration compost area. For more information on the programs and to make reservations, call 704-588-5224.

Also see the Alternative s to the Animal Report by Melissa Thibault.

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