GivingTuesday is November 28th, 2023!

In January, we celebrated Piedmont Wildlife Center's 20th anniversary, marking two decades of conservation and outdoor education. Now, as 2023 draws to a close, we're turning our sights to the future! Your support helped us connect 7,319 people with nature at our camps and wildlife programs last year alone. How many lives can we change together in the next 20 years?

This GivingTuesday, November 28th, join us in soaring into the next 20 years of nature connection at PWC:

• Take advantage of donation matching on GlobalGiving by giving on November 28th - and help unlock an additional $2,000 match from our board!

• Meet our 2 newest Ambassador Animals, including one North American species never before seen at PWC.

• Join our staff and Ambassador Animals at the Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center's inaugural Bid for Better: A GivingTuesday Nonprofit Auction, November 28th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Kramden Institute (tickets available now!)

• Get involved by registering for an upcoming volunteer orientation or joining our citizen science project, Triangle Turtle Trekkers.

GivingTuesday is a movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. Since 2012, nonprofits, donors, and everyday change-makers worldwide have observed a global day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Together, we can reimagine a world built upon shared humanity and generosity.

Help us soar past our $4,000 goal this GivingTuesday!

Thanks for celebrating 20 years with us!

We had a wildly good time celebrating Piedmont Wildlife Center last Friday, January 20th - and it was all thanks to YOU!

With your help, we kicked off PWC's third decade by raising $17,033.95 to support our conservation, education, and citizen science programs. All this while listening to incredible music by folk duo Kiah Wells and Jesse Fox, walking down memory lane with past and present PWC leaders, and enjoying the company of 95 fellow nature lovers!

Whether you bought tickets, volunteered at the event, donated a raffle item or door prize, spread the word, sponsored us, made a donation toward our fundraising goal, bought a 20th Anniversary t-shirt, or simply cheered us on from afar, we could not have done this without you. 

Follow the link below to hear a special thank-you message from Executive Director Karen McCall (and Shelly the box turtle). Thank you for supporting our mission of connecting people and nature - yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Special thanks to our generous sponsors: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Carrboro Coffee Roasters/Caffe Driade/Open Eye Cafe, Cat's Cradle, & Mediterranean Deli.

Piedmont Wildlife Center Celebrates 20 Years

This New Year’s Day, Piedmont Wildlife Center will have another reason to celebrate. January 1, 2023 marks 20 years since the Durham-based environmental nonprofit first opened its doors.

Piedmont Wildlife Center (PWC) was founded in 2003 by veterinarian Dr. Robert Schopler as a wildlife hospital. After treating countless animals in the center’s first 6 years, Schopler and his successor Gail Abrams realized education was key to preventing the kinds of human-wildlife conflicts that brought animals to rehabilitators in the first place.

“After years of surgeries on fractured shells and broken wings, I realized that empowering people to protect our environment has a much bigger benefit,” says Schopler. “What good does it do to fix a bluebird’s wing or nurse a baby squirrel to maturity if there are no wild places for it to return to?”

In 2009, PWC closed its hospital and reorganized to focus on environmental education and conservation. It has since reached thousands of children, teens, and adults through its award-winning outdoor camps, classes, and educational wildlife programs. The center currently cares for 26 non-releasable Ambassador Animals, including many hawks, owls, reptiles, and mammals native to North Carolina. PWC also contributes data on eastern box turtles to the statewide Box Turtle Connection study, and encourages the public to get involved through their Triangle Turtle Trekkers citizen science project.

For Karen McCall, PWC’s current Executive Director, PWC’s biggest success over the last 20 years has been inspiring kids and teens to connect with the natural world. “Watching the kids in our camp and conservation programs light up with curiosity, I see them beginning to connect with nature as I have,” McCall says. “Their self-confidence grows, and they eagerly share what they’ve learned with their parents. Most importantly, I see these children growing into stewards of our environment.”

The wildlife center will celebrate its 20th birthday at its 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, January 20, 2023. The event will be held at the Durham Armory from 7:30-10:00 PM. Guests can look forward to live bluegrass music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and raffles, animal meet-and-greets, and more, sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners and Carrboro Coffee Roasters. Tickets start at $100/person and may be purchased at www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/20th-anniversary-celebration.

For more details, please contact Samantha Horn (sam@piedmontwildlifecenter.org) or Karen McCall (karenm@piedmontwildlifecenter.org) via e-mail or phone at 919-489-0900.

PWC is turning 20... and YOU'RE invited to the party!

Celebrate 20 years of nature connection - and raise a glass to the next 20!

Join us at the Durham Armory on Friday, January 20th (7:30-10:00 PM) to celebrate two decades of nature connection. Enjoy live bluegrass music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, animal meet-and-greets, and more as we tell the story of PWC’s journey from a small wildlife hospital to an award-winning environmental education nonprofit serving thousands each year.

Early bird tickets ($75/person) available until December 1st, when general admission will become $100/person. VIP tickets ($150/person) include reserved seating at our VIP tables, plus early admission at 6:30 PM for drinks with PWC Executive Director Karen McCall and PWC founder Bobby Schopler.

Can’t make it in person? You can support the next 20 years of conservation, education, and citizen science by making a donation or purchasing 20th anniversary merchandise at the link below!

All proceeds will directly benefit Piedmont Wildlife Center’s award-winning programs to make sure we can continue educating, inspiring, and connecting people with nature for the next 20 years… and beyond!

Have 5 minutes? Help shape future PWC events!

What kind of PWC events would you like to see in the future? Do you want us to offer more virtual experiences? Who cooks for YOU?!

We want to know! (Well, okay, Apollo may be the only one asking that last question…) Will you help us by filling out our survey?

We’re so excited to hear your opinions that we’re giving away prizes to THREE lucky respondents! Enter your name and contact info on the last page of the survey to be entered in a drawing for one of three FREE virtual or in-person animal encounters, plus some fun PWC merch.

The survey should take about 5 minutes and will remain open until Wednesday, July 27th. Thank you for giving your opinions to help us better serve our community. Don’t forget to share with family and friends!