It was a blessing to be given the major role in designing the nature center and the creation of the displays. This endeavor was in addition to my responsibilities as the Outdoor Education Director to provide staff and programs for 130 school contracts. My experience with taxidermy and environmental programs proved to be quite beneficial.

Much thought went into the layout of the building. A wide bird viewing station overlooks a pond/fountain and feeding stations in the back. A ten foot wide porch wraps around the sides and front to provide shade in the summer and rainy day options. The best advice received when researching other centers was to include storage. Since I wanted aquariums and live animals, a utility sink was included in one of the two storage rooms in the back corners. An additional storage room was located behind the walk around fireplace. Two classrooms house all the microscopes and allow for aquariums and reptiles to be secured behind closed doors but viewed through glass. The top/fronts of the classrooms were designed to be selves/ledges for taxidermy displays

Thanks to the suggestion of one of the carpenters, the self was wrapped around the corners which created even more ledge and opened the view around the fireplace. An angled display ledge continues around most of the room, just out of reach of parents and children. The background scenery above all the shelves was painted by two local artists.

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