November Update From Nick DiColandrea, Executive Director

Hello again, Piedmont friends and supporters!

I hope you’ve been doing well and have had a chance to enjoy this wild hot-and-cold weather we’re all so familiar with here in North Carolina. While it’s deeply troubling to see our climate swing to such extremes more regularly, these moments also provide opportunities for reflection on how we impact and care for the environment around us. They remind us to be thankful for the incredible richness of biodiversity—the plants and animals that make up our Piedmont landscape—a gift from previous generations that we’re privileged to experience every day.

Did you know that our Conservation team provides classroom educational visits for schools all across the Triangle? You didn’t?! Well, let me tell you about my recent experience. I had the opportunity to join Jenna Williams, PWC's Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, at Pleasant Union Elementary this month, and I loved it! You should have seen the excited glee of the 4th graders, the curiosity behind their questions, and the empathy they showed for our Animal Ambassadors. With more support from our community, we can reach even more students next year and keep bringing nature into classrooms, inspiring those who will one day inherit this planet. It is an amazing experience to see how these little learners connect with nature in the classroom!

Speaking of thankfulness, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my incredible staff. Without them, Piedmont would not exist.

• Madeline, thank you for being a constant ray of positivity.

• Jenna, thank you for nerding out on sci-fi with me and making me feel younger than I am.

• Kaitlin, you are one of the most tireless and dedicated employees I’ve ever seen.

• Porter, your curiosity and thoughtful questions constantly push us to grow.

• Alia, your Facebook Marketplace skills and infectious enthusiasm are unmatched.

• Jillian, your caring demeanor and perfectly timed jokes keep us grounded and smiling.

• Mirren, thank you for seamlessly stepping into new roles without missing a beat.

• Ben, I appreciate how you ask for help when needed and offer it so generously in return.

• Arisa, for being one of the most resilient employees I've had the pleasure of working with and not being shy about challenging my ideas.

• Noelle, thank you for always asking more questions than I have answers for, but mainly for being the backbone of Piedmont during my entire first few months.

Thank you, team!

And don’t forget, folks—Giving Tuesday is just around the corner!

Yours in service, 

Nick DiColandrea (Executive Director)

Pop-Up Birds of Prey Tours (Pre-Registration Required, Limited Spots Available)

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with us—on a smaller scale! While we’ve traditionally hosted large celebrations, we’re shifting focus this year to smaller, impactful tours to help fund our mission.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, December 21st

• Time Slots: 10:00-10:45 AM, 11:15 AM-12 PM, 12:30 PM-1:15 PM, and 1:45-2:30 PM

• Cost: $10 per person (additional donations highly encouraged to support our programs!)

• Age Limit: Participants must be 5 years or older

• Registration: Click here to register (Pre-registration is required; limited to 12 participants per time slot)

• Nature Store: Open during the event!

What to Expect:
Explore Piedmont Wildlife Center and meet the incredible birds of prey that call PWC home. During this guided walking tour (~½ mile), you’ll learn about our mission, get to know our birds, and finish with a special up-close meet-and-greet with one of our Ambassador Animals. Please dress for the weather and note that all participants must sign a liability waiver.

Accessibility Notice:
Some areas of the tour may not be accessible for wheelchairs, walking aids, or those with mobility concerns due to the natural setting of our programs. If you have questions, call us at 919-489-0900 before booking.

Spaces are limited, so secure your spot today—and thank you for supporting Piedmont Wildlife Center this Winter Solstice!

Save The Date: Boost Your Impact This Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday, December 3rd, we’re aiming to raise $7,500 as a critical step toward recovering from this year's unexpected expenses—and the first $2,500 in donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by our board, maximizing your impact!

Relocating from the Cabin at Leigh Farm Park was a tough and unexpected change for our team, our Ambassador Animals, and the community we serve. From finding temporary housing for our animals to adapting to temporary office spaces, these changes came with steep, unplanned costs. While our $7,500 Giving Tuesday goal is just one piece of what we need to recover fully, it’s a vital starting point.

Your generosity will help us:

• Work toward a permanent home with facilities that meet the needs of both our animals and the people who care for and learn from them.

• Ensure our staff has the tools, resources, and support they need to continue delivering high-quality camps and programs.

• Build a stronger foundation for Piedmont Wildlife Center, enabling us to grow, adapt, and better serve our community for years to come.

By donating on Giving Tuesday, you’ll help us Rebuild, Renew, and Reimagine a brighter future for Piedmont Wildlife Center. Thank you for believing in us and standing with us through this journey!

America Recycles Day: Turning Your Recyclables into Wildlife Enrichment

November 15th is America Recycles Day! Established in 1997, this eco-friendly national holiday educates Americans on the importance of recycling and how to properly recycle products. One thing I personally did not realize until I was much older than I’d like to admit is that the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” is actually the order of importance of keeping products out of landfills. The best thing we can do is to reduce the amounts of plastics and other non-natural items we purchase and consume, but since things need to come in packaging, the second best thing we can do is reuse (or repurpose) those items. If all else fails, we should attempt to recycle those items when we are finished with them so they can go on to create other items.

At PWC, we appreciate our Animal Ambassadors and want to help them live their best lives. By creatively reusing everyday household items, we create enrichment activities to promote their natural behaviors and keep them engaged. Yesterday’s newspapers are our most commonly used items, either as lining for our critters’ enclosures, loosely stuffed in a box for our native snakes to hide in and explore, or as shreddable material for our pigeons. Toilet paper tubes are useful for hiding food so the raptors can mimic shredding their prey before they enjoy their meal. Cardboard boxes can be used for hides for the rat pack, to give our possum some privacy, or for the bottom of foraging boxes for our raven. Even larger cardboard boxes can be cut down to create toys and chewables for our rabbits (whose teeth never stop growing)! There are so many ways we can use your recyclable items in our everyday animal care.

The following everyday items can easily be put to use by our animal care team and volunteers to help our animals get the care they deserve:

• Toilet paper and paper towel tubes

• Empty tissue boxes

• Yesterday’s newspaper

• Egg cartons (styrofoam or paper)

• Shoe boxes

• Plastic jars, yogurt containers (with or without lids)

• Cardboard boxes (any size, but please no used pizza boxes or boxes with chemicals spilt on them)

• Books and magazines

• Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, really any boxes as long as food hasn’t directly contacted the material

• Soda/juice bottles (any plastic size is great)

  If you don’t have any recyclables to donate or are already repurposing items around your house, please check out our Amazon and Chewy wishlists! If you have any questions, please email our Animal Enrichment Coordinator at jillian@piedmontwildlifecenter.org. Happy upcycling!

Article by Jillian Langston-Bennett

Autumn Adventures Auction Success: Thank You for Your Support!

We're proud to share that our Autumn Adventures Online Auction raised $4,458! Whether you placed a bid, made a donation, or cheered us on from the sidelines, your support means so much.

What will $4,458 accomplish at Piedmont Wildlife Center?

• $2,825 covers the costs of dumpsters used to clear out the cabin and carriage house prior to our move within Leigh Farm Park.

• $1,033 helps offset the costs of sheds we built to store equipment and supplies, allowing us to move our Eastern Box Turtle Ambassadors indoors for the winter.

• $500 covers wellness exam fees for 10 of our Ambassador Animals.

• $100 covers the cost of new smoke alarms.

If you won an auction item, keep an eye on your inbox! We’ll reach out this week to coordinate your item pickup or delivery.

Thank you for believing in us and standing with us through this period of transition. Your support empowers us to keep moving forward, more resilient and committed than ever to connecting our community with nature through outdoor education, animal programs, and wildlife research.

With deepest gratitude,

The Piedmont Wildlife Center Staff