The mission of the Lake Erie Islands
Nature & Wildlife Center is to promote conservation of and education about the flora, fauna, and lands of the Lake Erie Islands ecosystem.
Happy Spring from the LEINWC!
All of us here at the Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center are greatly concerned about and keeping a close watch on the Covid-19 pandemic. Of greatest importance is keeping our employees and visitors safe and healthy. To do that, we have come to the difficult decision that the Nature & Wildlife Center will remain closed through May, opening to the public June 1st, conditions permitting. We currently still anticipate being able to host Nature Camp as scheduled, registration is currently open, and we are offering full refunds in the case of cancellation as well as pursuing other options for kids to have a Nature Camp experience during social distancing if those policies are still in place. At this time, we are still planning on hosting our summer events as well. Of course, this is all subject to change based on the circumstances of the pandemic. Please keep a close eye here on our website and on our Facebook page for up to date information. We will also be regularly posting ideas and activities to do while at home during this time, so follow our Facebook and Instagram pages and keep checking our website for some great resources! To everyone reading, we will get through this together and come out of it stronger as a community. Stay safe and stay healthy my friends!
This winter we were able to break ground on our building addition and work will pick back up soon so we’re ready for the season! It is all thanks to donors like you who have supported us on this journey to add on to the Nature & Wildlife Center. The building addition will add valuable space, as our visitor numbers have been consistently increasing over the years. In the addition, we will have a new display area that will house a wildlife viewing window area, a geology display, and most exciting of all, a new live animal display. We will also add a much-needed office and library space. We will be open weekends in May, then daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Make sure you include us in your plans to visit Put-in-Bay this year to see all of the exciting changes coming to the Nature & Wildlife Center!
This year’s Nature Camp theme is BUGS! We will be searching for garden bugs, forest bugs, and water bugs. All campers will be getting up close and personal with the insects that surround us. There will be field trips to find and identify pollinating insects and decomposers; to discover habitats and to enjoy human-bug interactions. Registration is now available!! Get your campers signed up for a fun-filled week of outdoor adventures and activities that will teach them about the beautiful world around us!
We always need donations to help support our educational programs. And we are still seeking donations to help with the new displays. If you would like to sponsor a specific display, please contact us at leinwc@gmail.com for more details. For other ways to help, click here. If you would like to donate online, you can do so through PayPal using a PayPal account or credit card.
We are currently scheduling group tours for 2020! Come visit us!
Group Rates
Grades 7 and up $2
Elementary Students $1
Minimum 20 per group, with 1 adult per 10 children
Group and tours by appointment only – call 419-285-3037
About Us
The Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center was formed by a collaboration between the Lake Erie Islands chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy and the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society. In 2012 we became an independent non-profit organization.
Along with being in the middle of the walleye capital of the world, the islands are home to hundreds of species of birds and are the only place in the country where the federally threatened Lake Erie Watersnake can be found.
Utilizing our unique location we aim to provide a one of a kind ecological/educational experience for the 700,000+ visitors that come to South Bass Island each summer.
How to Help
We've been fundraising to build an addition to the center.
We have built the porch, and now need to move forward on the much needed library and expansion of the inside exhibit space. We have been offered an exciting challenge to raise funds for completing the second phase. Brad & Zoe Titchener have offered to match funds we raise in 2019 up to $30,000. Our staff and volunteers have been working to meet this challenge though soliciting local donations, fundraisers, grants, and other foundations so we can meet this challenge. The cost of the building addition is estimated at $200,000.00. We currently have $130,000 in our Building Fund. Completion of this challenge will allow us to break ground this Fall!
Remember, every dollar you give is matched up to $30,000. Your donation is worth double the amount you send to us. Please complete the form on the top of this Page and return it with your donation. Thank you!!
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