“Our mission is to connect people with nature,” said education coordinator of the Georgia Southern Wildlife Center, Carson Woods.

It has been over a year since the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Though it caused destruction amongst the center, the Wildlife Center saw this as an opportunity to rebuild the center into something greater. “We are about to open a few new exhibits,” Woods said. “The Duck Camp, which will be kind of an extension of our waterfowl pond. It’s all about duck comfort, conservation, and duck hunting, and how that actually helps conserve land for not only the duck habitats, but duck hunters as well.”

With the Raptor Walkway sustaining lots of damage from the hurricane, Woods and other staff members asked themselves, “Why not just go ahead and get some new displays out there while it’s shut down?” The Wildlife Center plans to reopen the Raptor Walkway in October, with its birds back on display.

“We’re rocking and rolling with normal operations!” Woods exclaimed. The Wildlife Center offers daily 3:30 p.m. programs to which students are more than welcome. This year, the programs will be themed. “We have a native animals theme, an exotic animals theme, and starting next month, the bird show on Wednesday,” said Woods.

Student workers are the backbone of the daily operations at the Wildlife Center, according to Woods. “We always accept volunteers throughout the year. Volunteering is kind of at your own pace. Students can come between classes, hang out, and get to train on the animals.”

For more information on the Wildlife Center, check out their Instagram page, @gswildlifecenter.

If you’re interested in volunteering at the Wildlife Center, click here.