Ohio Ace Education Marketplace

Ohio Wildlife Center is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation for Ohio’s native wildlife through rehabilitation, education and wildlife health studies. Founded in 1984 by Dr. Donald Burton, the Center operates Ohio’s largest donation-supported wild animal rehabilitation clinic, serving more than 8,000 animals annually. In response to increasing admissions and a clear prevalence of human misconduct as a reason for animals needing our help, the Center launched educational programs in 2001 with the hope of preventing the need for our hospital’s services. Our Education Campus is a 20-acre private woodland lot on the outskirts of Powell, OH. The grounds consist of multiple Ohio habitats, like woodland, ponds, wetlands and meadows, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about diverse environments and the species that call them home. The focal point of the campus is our living collection of 60 Animal Ambassadors: former hospital patients that were deemed non-releasable due to permanent disabilities, but who nonetheless have a demeanor appropriate for long-term captivity and public interaction. About 2 in 5 animals admitted to our hospital arrive because of conflict with a human or interaction with our urban environment. These circumstances range from collisions and habitat destruction to poisoning and inappropriate possession. In this statistic, we see the need for more accessible and engaging opportunities for our community to learn how their behavior directly impacts the quality of life of our native wildlife, as well as influences the health of our ecosystem. This need for environmental education strongly aligns with broader needs for STEAM enrichment, both providing a specific lens on scientific study and implementing the same exploration and problem-solving learning styles. STEAM-informed environmental education is particularly important for school-age children. In addition to the long-term benefits of stronger conservation behaviors, outdoor programs can have immediate benefits for children as they work to achieve in school and develop into future leaders. An analysis performed by the University of Illinois in 2019 concluded that learning outside has significant positive effects on the learner’s attention, stress level and self-discipline compared to indoor classrooms, all of which are key drivers of academic achievement. Another thesis, “Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement” by Oksana Bartosh is cited by the National Wildlife Federation for its exploration of standardized test scores across 77 demographically equivalent schools, where half provide environmental education curriculum and half do not. In the study, the schools with environmental programs perform higher persistently over 5 years of evaluation. Our programs implement environmental education through intensive, hands-on activities in a unique outdoor environment with access to living wildlife ambassadors. Participants learn about sustainable environmental practices for everyday life. Activities are as outdoors and camper-driven as possible to help participants fully tap into their critical-thinking skills and sense of exploration. Daily lessons are given about the importance of various animals, environmental features, and human practices, with activities scheduled throughout the program to reinforce essential learnings through play.