In the late 1990s, I received a surprise recruitment call from John Flicker, national president of Audubon for 15 years and a former Nature Conservancy state director with an outstanding reputation. He told me about Audubon Society’s 2020 Vision of establishing Audubon Centers to create an inclusive culture of conservation. Then, to close the deal, he memorably said: “We’re creating churches for nature.” When I heard this, I said “You’ve got me now!”
I made the move, a big one, after more than a decade at TNC, a gratifying place to work. The physical move was only a few blocks away in downtown Seattle, but the mission move was large: from land conservation action back to environmental education which was my major in college.
It was a heady time to be at Audubon. John Flicker’s 2020 Vision called for the establishment of 1,000 new Audubon nature centers across the U.S. by the year 2020. This noble and ambitious idea was modeled after Massachusetts Audubon, where they already had a network of Massachusetts Audubon Nature Centers in relatively close proximity to every person in the state. It was an attempt to implement this model nationwide.
We set out to establish five Audubon Centers in Washington State. Special emphasis was placed on urban centers more where diverse populations lived. We saw obvious opportunities in Washington’s major urban areas: Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane. Other compelling regional opportunities for centers existed in Leavenworth in central Washington and Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula.
Getting these centers up and running was not a walk in the park. There were many obstacles, including political, financial, and strategically locating the centers in places where they would be sustainable. Some in Audubon did not embrace this mission, and some even fought it. Nothing worth doing is easy.
In this post, I feature two centers that persevered through these challenges. They embody the vision that Audubon had to connect people to nature in outstanding natural areas, in a place where cultural and natural diversity are respected. These two centers, launched 20+ years ago went on to become mature, functioning entities serving two distinctly different communities. I worked on them both extensively with dedicated staff, partners and volunteers from both centers, and was on the ground floor of their development. They are in many ways, dreams come true.
The Seward Park Audubon Center started in a former inn where several Seattle Parks Staff ran the first environmental education and outdoor exploration programs on site. Now the center is entering its 16th year of operation in a fully-remodeled building, has served an average of 12,000 people for year, adding up to nearly 1/4 million people who have visited and/or participated in its programs!
Seward Park was selected because it was a unique place where human diversity meets natural diversity in Seattle, Washington’s largest city. Seward Park lies on a 300-acre peninsula with the city’s largest old-growth forest, including its oldest tree. The physical setting created what Audubon president John Flicker referred to as a “wow experience.” What made the location even better, was that it is adjacent to the most ethnically-diverse area in the state of Washington.
When the Center first opened 15 years ago, “Welcome” was etched into the front door in six languages. According to Joey Manson, Center Director “We could probably add six or seven more. That welcome continues to greet everyone who passes through that door, joins us on guided walks, attends our lectures, learns on our school field trips, and develops skills in our teen program. The teen engagement programs have supported young people from area high schools who are exploring career opportunities and supporting local conservation efforts. From military veterans to toddlers, and high school students to individuals with physical limitations, we’ve helped people learn and find joy here in this spectacular park.”
Manson is especially proud of the kid’s summer camps. “The week long camp ends when each camper undertakes the solo hike. An eight-year-old girl was a bit hesitant to traverse the trail along but made her way through…She returned with the confidence of a lion on the following day with her mother in tow, and later, with more adults. Her mother said she wished she could go to camp in Seward Park. Two years later, the Center launched a series of three-day camps for adults. These camps were an immediate success, and the young girl’s mother participated in each of them.”
Although this historical building provided a site for the center, it had to be significantly remodeled to be up to code, and able to facilitate groups and provide ADA access. This required a major capital campaign followed by years of construction and eventually moving staff in to the beautifully, It now hosts staff, has a meeting area, art displays and a store. Best of all, you can literally walk out the back door into natural habitat.
Mt. Rainier & Lake Washington view from Center; Ed Dominguez, staff naturalist, leads a bird walk
The Dungeness River Nature Center at Railroad Bridge Park is located along the Dungeness River, the ancestral watershed of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. The Center is the first Audubon Center in the State of Washington and the only U.S. Audubon Center with a tribal partner. The Dungeness River Nature Center maintains active partnerships with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society and the National Audubon Society. Now in its 24th year, (it operated as the Dungeness River Audubon Center from 2001 to 2019), it serves over 60 thousand annual visitors and six public school districts as well as many private and home-schooled children.
When I first visited the center in 1999, with State Audubon Director Jeff Parsons, and National Audubon President John Flicker in 1999, it consisted of several small buildings stuffed with exhibits. The center has since grown in spectacular fashion to become a destination for natural and cultural education on the Olympic Peninsula. As one of the founders, Ken Wiersema, said about the Center “it is fulfilling the needs of our region and its visitors to more fully understand our natural and cultural heritage.”
Dungeness River Center offers:
- Year-round nature programs
- Green conference & retreat center rentals
- School field trips and nature immersion learning
- Field trips and customized retreats for groups of any age and size
- Youth and family camps
- Day tours and programs
- Adult learning experiences
- Special events including the annual Bird Festival in April, River Festival in September, and weekly bird walks every Wednesday morning.
Learn more about these outstanding centers by visiting their websites:
Dungeness River Nature Center, Sequim, WA https://dungenessrivercenter.org/
Seward Park Audubon Center, Seattle, WA https://sewardpark.audubon.org/
Better yet, visit THEM!
Audubon continues to make progress in bird conservation, science, education and advocacy through its centers and other programs. Four of the centers I worked on are up and running. Not all are run by Audubon, but together they serve tens of thousands annually with bird and conservation education programs in Seattle, Sequim, Tacoma and Leavenworth. And they help provide stewardship on the lands where they are located. Best of all, these centers introduce young people to nature.
As Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods reminded us: “More time in nature – combined with less television (and now cell phones, Tik-Tok, internet and etc.) and more stimulating play and educational settings – may go a long way toward reducing attention deficits in children, and, just as important, increasing their joy in life.”
Washington State-based naturalist/author Robert Michael Pyle put it succinctly: “Those who care conserve; those who don’t know don’t care.”
