Center for Wildlife

08/31/2026

Who wants to travel to the Azores with us next spring and raise funds for Center for Wildlife at the same time? Here’s a spotlight on Day 9 of the trip, details below to inquire or reserve your spot today, only ten spots left and after September 15th these spots will be released to the general public and can be gone within minutes!

Wake up in the gorgeous boutique hotel on the lush Terceira island. Enjoy breakfast as part of your package (almost all meals are included), and then take a swim in the crystal clear natural volcanic pools of Biscoitos. Later, on your way to Algar do Carvão, stop at Serra do Cume viewpoint where views of the agricultural fields and their neat, orderly stone walls will take your breath away. At Algar do Carvão, the “Cavern of Coal,” feel the quiet stillness as you descend into this ancient lava tube, one of the only lava tubes in the world accessible by foot. These tunnels are in the middle of an Azorean heath forest, and wind through lush moss and ferns and end at an underground lagoon. Enjoy the evening exploring Angra do Heroísmo as you wish.

This trip is April 22- May 4, 2027, and is already half full! Prices start at $6,099 per person, and include group transport to Logan, airfare, all hotels and most meals, excursions, guides, and travel between destinations. This will be our 4th International Eco Tour, coordinated by Posh Travel and led by Collette Tours. Each ticket includes a $500 donation to Center for Wildlife’s work treating up to 2,500 injured and orphaned wild animals each year. There are 12 spots left, email Kim at [email protected] to inquire or reserve your spot today!

08/30/2026

For many families, it's Back to School this week...but if you still have little learners at home, come visit us on Weds 9/2 for our toddler time program, Where the Wild Kids Are, from 10AM - 11AM! This program is geared towards wee naturalists from ages 2 - 5, offering time to explore and learn about our natural world through nature-based activities, stories and crafts. We'll also have the chance to meet Center for Wildlife ambassador animals!

We try to be outside as much as possible depending on the weather, so please come dressed for the elements. Grab your tickets at https://113050.blackbaudhosting.com/113050/Where-the-Wild-Kids-Are-02Sep2026

Can't make it to Where the Wild Kids Are this Wednesday? Come visit our Nature Center Thursday - Sunday between 10AM - 4PM, and catch one of our special wildlife programs included with the price of admission. Tickets are available at https://www.thecenterforwildlife.org/upcoming-events

Fridays (12PM - 12:45PM): Owl Pellet Dissection
Discover what owls eat and how they hunt by dissecting real owl pellets! Learn about local food webs, prey species, and the important role owls play in our shared ecosystems.

Fridays (2PM - 2:30PM): Let's Talk Turtles!Meet our turtle ambassadors up close! Watch as we feed both our aquatic and terrestrial turtles while learning about their care, diets, and the challenges turtles face in the wild.

Saturdays & Sundays (12PM - 12:45PM) Predators of the Sky
Make new connections to the natural world when you meet one of our amazing raptor ambassadors. Raptors (aka - "birds of prey") are super-skilled hunters and intelligent observers of the world. Learn how humans are connected to birds of prey and what we can do to be better caretakers of the habitats we share. Program includes a behind-the-scenes look at the care and feeding.

Saturdays & Sundays (2PM - 2:45PM) Keeper-in-Training
Ever wondered what it takes to care for our wild animal neighbors? Join our animal care team as they prepare diets and enrichment for our mammal ambassadors, then watch a live feeding! The more we learn about other species, the better we're able to understand them and better share the world with them.

08/30/2026

Our kayak raffle closes TOMORROW!!

Enter now before the raffle closes on August 31st at 5pm! You have the chance to win a $900-value Crescent Primo Kayak + Bending Branches Paddle from Northern Explorer Supply!

This kayak is perfect for any adventure and is especially beloved by wildlife photographers for the seat's ability to be lifted up for higher angles. The kayak is 10 1/2ft long and can hold up to 375lbs - perfect for those looking for a smaller portable vessel with room for a cooler, speaker, or even a small dog or child!

🎟 Tickets are 1 for $10, or 3 for $25! There's no limit to the amount of tickets you can buy, and all proceeds go directly to Center for Wildlife! Ticket sales end on August 31st at 5PM EST.

🛶 Learn more and enter now at: www.thecenterforwildlife.org/nescfw-raffle

Thank you so much for your generous donation!

08/29/2026

In case you missed it, check out our segment on WGME CBS 13 News, Portland’s ARC Maine morning show this morning. Our executive director, Kristen, and Fern our female barred owl ambassador visited with amazing anchors Stephanie Grindley TV and Jeff Peterson.

We chatted about what juvenile raptors go through this season as they learn to hunt on their own and disperse from their parents, how to minimize negative human impacts during this season, as well as how to call with owls!

We also shared upcoming events like a featured program at Bradbury Mountain’s Leave no Trace event next Saturday, and our Open House event September 13th.

Meet Fern the barred owl! She came to live at the Center for Wildli...

08/28/2026

It's still summer, but the crisp hints in the morning and evenings lately tell us autumn is on the way. Thanks to our partners at 207Prime Properties, our campus now has a perfect place to slowly wander and reflect on the changing seasons - the Meditation Labyrinth!

This spiraling path, surrounded with native and shade plants, winds thoughtfully to and from a comfortable bench, offering a quiet space under the forest canopy to let our minds rest from a noisy world. We are so grateful to 207Prime Properties for this mindful spot under the pines and oaks to breathe in the woodland air and release built up stress, and for all of their support as we have grown over the years!

08/28/2026

“Are you my Mom?”. This dark nosed squirrel is one of 19 injured or orphaned squirrels and chipmunks we have admitted since just Monday alone. Small mammals in our region have a second litter that begins in late summer and with rapid climate change over the past two decades, this season now extends into late October. This Eastern gray squirrel is about 6 weeks old, and his eyes have just opened. One of our Wildlife Rehabilitation Apprentices, Natalee, is preparing to feed him a specialized Eastern gray squirrel milk replacer in this photo.

Have you ever seen a baby squirrel? Most have not, as their moms do an incredible job caring for them high up in their dreys for 10-12 weeks. When they begin to emerge and explore, they look just like adults but slightly smaller. We can admit up to 400 injured and orphaned small mammals each year, all brought to us because of some kind of human activity. Here’s some tips on keeping them safe and with their moms this season:

1. Perform tree work Nov-Feb
2. Keep cats indoors (safer for kitty, indoor cats life 5 years longer on average)
3. Use alternatives to rodenticide
4. If you find an injured or orphaned wild animal, please call your nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Feeding the wrong food or with improper equipment can lead to digestive and respiratory issues and even death
5. Support your local wildlife rehabilitator, we do not receive any government funding!

08/28/2026

Join us at Center for Wildlife for our annual Open House on Sunday, September 13th for a look inside Center for Wildlife's work! From 10am-2pm we will be hosting this fun, FREE community event for all ages.

CFW Staff will lead animal ambassador meet-and-greets, clinic animal feedings, bird migration & Identification walks, kids crafts, fall foraging walks, wildlife tracking workshops & walks, a release of an animal who's been treated in our clinic, and more!!!

Don't miss out on this once-a-year experience to get to know wildlife in our area, and meet other nature-lovers in your community! Immerse yourself in a day of nature-based learning and exploration and discover how we can support the wildlife amongst us as we head into fall and winter.

RSVP for FREE now at: https://www.thecenterforwildlife.org/open-house-2026

08/27/2026

Paper towels needed!

We might be at the tail-end of summer (pun intended), but there are still plenty of young birds in our clinic's songbird nursery - and we could use your help sourcing paper towels for them!

Besides daily (even hourly) cleanings to help our patients stay healthy during recovery, our busy clinic team uses paper towels as coverings for our indoor songbird enclosures and triage room habitats. With over 1,700 animals admitted so far in 2026, that adds up to a LOT of paper towels, and with fall migration starting soon, we hope to top up our supply.

If you find you have a roll or two to spare, donations of paper towels can be dropped off at our facility any day of the week between 9AM - 5PM, or they can be sent to us directly from our Wishlist at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6HEOPHWD7CIV?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_10 We appreciate your support!

08/27/2026

“My hope for the environment, for all things living and all things good, just nature in general, is that we should pay more attention to how we’re treating our mountains, how we’re treating our world “- Dolly Parton, National Geographic , 2022

We share in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Dolly, not only a talented musician and inspiring female leader, but also a dedicated philanthropist who had a lifetime of passion and dedication to wildlife and the environment. Through her music and her words, she shared her deep connection with nature, and understanding that we are all truly connected. In 1991, she founded Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, which not only housed permanently injured eagles, owls, vultures and birds of prey and introduced millions of visitors to the role we all must play in being responsible for our world, but also successfully rehabilitated over 400 bald eagles that were returned to the wild.

We thought it would be fitting to share this video of our juvenile bald eagle patient taking his first steps in our new 100-foot flight enclosure. Raptors, just like humans, have stages of development where they learn to walk, fly, forage, perch, hide, swim, hunt and more. Here you can see this juvenile learning to manage giant wings and a giant body; something she would do as her parents would be supplementally feeding her and protecting her as she learned the ropes. Unfortunately, she was found on the ground emaciated, with parasites, and with lead toxicity. Her parents were likely unknowingly feeding her fish, small mammals , or other prey or carcasses with lead tackle or ammunition.

She has been in care for over a month, receiving treatment, proper nutrition and husbandry, and has graduated from the ICU to a smaller outdoor enclosure, and on Tuesday graduated to the large flight enclosure. We are hopeful she will be able to return to the wild, and we hope Dolly Parton would be proud🙏🏻

If you want to learn more about our work, or if you would like to make a donation to support our efforts, please do so via the link in bio, by phone: 207-361-1400 ext 107, or by mail: Center for Wildlife, PO Box 620, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.

08/26/2026

It's incredible to peer through our photo archives, and look at how much we've grown in 4 decades of operation! From a backyard trailer, to a single-story ranch house and outbuildings, to our

What's perhaps more incredible? Since our inception in 1986, Center for Wildlife's work has been made possible by our community. We are proud of our partnerships with wildlife agencies, but no state or federal funding exists for the treatment and rehabilitation of injured, ill or orphaned wildlife. Furthermore, wildlife and environmental causes receive just over 1% of philanthropic giving in the US, often because the links between wildlife, environmental health and human health and well-being are often invisible to us. These "ecosystem services", however, have a directly impact on our physical and mental health - turtles help maintain clean waterways by eating dead and decaying organic matter. North American porcupines create new forest habitat as they graze on trees and native browse, fostering a more diverse plant community in the forest. Bats and songbirds eat thousands of insects a day, many of which are potential disease vectors such as mosquitos and flies.

We are deeply grateful to our supporters - individuals, local businesses and foundations - who not only see the value in our connections to wildlife and nature, but enable us to be here as a community resource for humans and wildlife all year round.

If you are able, consider making a one-time or recurring monthly gift at www.thecenterforwildlife.org/donate to support the ongoing operation of our wildlife medical clinic. With your continued support, we look forward to another 40 years serving northern New England and local wildlife!