Center for Wildlife

05/31/2026

✨ More than a Visit, a Private Tour Experience You Won’t Forget at CFW ✨

Our Private Tours offer the chance for small groups to visit our Nature Center and outdoor ambassador enclosures while learning about the work we do here at the Center! Whether you're planning a visit or looking for a unique gift, a private tour is an unforgettable choice!

What’s Included:

A 60-minute guided experience through our Nature Center and Ambassador Village with a CFW educator, plus a special meet & greet with one of our ambassador animals outside of their enclosure.

📩To schedule your private tour, please visit our website at www.thecenterforwildlife.org/private-tours !

05/31/2026

There are SIX SPOTS LEFT to join our magical Costa Rica trip this fall! Spots are filling fast, and final payment deadline is July 12th!

✨Travel to Costa Rica October 10th - 21st, 2026! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to a beautiful land, and a portion of all proceeds from trips booked will go directly to funding CFW’s work for wildlife and community.

🦋With natural wonders and ecology as the focus, this trip to the emerald of Central America includes:
- Birdwatching in the jungle
- Nature cruise through Tortuguero National Park
- Hanging bridge canopy tour of a Cloud Forest
- River Safari through the tropical rainforest
- Lava field hike or jungle canopy zip lining
- Mangrove River Safari

Last year's trip sold out and we anticipate this one will too so reserve your spot today!

To learn more or to reserve your spot today, visit www.thecenterforwildlife.org/eco-tours, or email our board member, Kim, at Posh Travel: [email protected].

05/30/2026

🦋 Kids Visit Free Day at Center for Wildlife is Back, and This Time We’re Celebrating The World of Bugs & Pollinators !

Join us on Saturday, June 13 from 11:00 AM–3:00 PM at Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick for a family-friendly day filled with hands-on activities, wildlife encounters, ambassador meet & greets, and exploration of the tiny creatures that make a big impact on our ecosystems.

Families can enjoy an insect investigation program, guided invertebrate explorations, pollinator-themed activities, bug-inspired discovery stations, hands-on crafts, and opportunities to meet CFW Ambassador animals throughout the day.

From pollinators and decomposers to soil builders and food sources for wildlife, bugs and other small creatures help support the larger web of life. This is a great way to kick off summer, get outside, reconnect with the community, and learn more about CFW’s summer programs and offerings.

🎟 Kids visit free with the purchase of an adult admission ticket, ages 18+. Tickets are limited and advance registration is strongly encouraged.

🔗 Learn more and reserve your spot through our Upcoming Events Calendar or using this direct link: https://113050.blackbaudhosting.com/113050/Wild-About-Bugs-A-CFW-Discovery-Day

05/30/2026

We are officially HALFWAY to our goal! Thanks to our generous community, and an anonymous donor who set us up with a $50,000 donation match! So, DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT and donate now at www.thecenterforwildlife.org/donate

Help us reach our spring fundraising goal of $150,000 to support our wildlife clinic and education team! Funding will go directly towards the staff time, food, medication, housing, & husbandry needed to support our conservation medicine and environmental education programs to meet current and growing demands. Center for Wildlife has been proud to serve our community for 40 years now - all without government funding! It's largely thanks to individual donations from our community that have kept our doors open for the last 40 years, and with your continued support, we look forward to another 40+ years!

05/30/2026

This female barred owl has been in care with us for the past two weeks. She was found on side of the road, with her feathers all ruffled up and leaning forward. There was blood on her face and she wasn't opening one of her eyes. Thankfully, her rescuers were able to bring her home overnight, and transport her to CFW the next morning where our clinic team began their initial examination.

Upon arrival, our clinic team noticed the damage to her left eye, as she was still squinting it and it seemed to be extra dilated. The blood on her face was also found inside her mouth and nose, and there was bruising to her left ear. There was also bruising found around her left knee, and her left shoulder was feeling a bit stiff. Her demeanor was another concern, as she wasn't acting fully alert- a common sign that an animal isn't feeling well.

Our clinic team gave her fluids to help with her mild dehydration, started her on pain & inflammation reliever, and wrapped her left wing to prevent further injury to the shoulder. Over the next few days, her condition began to gradually improve. She was fully opening her left eye again, eating well, and her attitude was getting back to normal. After she had some time to decompress, it was finally safe to put her under for X-rays... which thankfully showed no signs of fracture!

She is continuing to heal in our clinic, and our team has been monitoring her nutrition, hydration, and healing progress closely. During her initial exam, our clinic team had also found a brood patch - a featherless area that develops on the stomach of a breeding owl. The brooding patch, along with the time of year, indicate that she probably has babies out there somewhere, so our clinic team is extra eager to get her released as soon as she is ready! We hope to have more positive updates and a release video for you all soon!

If you'd like to help support the care of this barred owl and over 2,000 other animals this year, you can donate now at: www.thecenterforwildlife.org/donate
Thank you so much for you support, we couldn’t do this important work without you!!

05/29/2026

We have a very exciting month ahead of us for our CFW members!!🎉

During the month of June, Center for Wildlife members will receive a special reciprocal membership to BOTH Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and the Children's Museum of New Hampshire!!

Back in April, CFW welcomed Squam Lakes members to visit our campus for free, and this June, they will be extending the same courtesy! CFW members will enjoy:
💚Free admission up to 4 people on any CFW membership from 6/1/26 - 6/30/26.
This is only for daily admissions and not for special programming

Our reciprocal membership this June with Children's Museum of New Hampshire allows CFW and CMNH members to visit both centers all month! CMNH members are invited to come check out Center for Wildlife! CFW members will get:
💚Four free admissions to CMNH (with kids under 1 being free)
💚10% off a CMNH membership in the month of June

No pre-registration required, just show up with proof of your CFW membership, and enjoy your time at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire!

Learn more about Squam Lakes at: https://nhnature.org
Learn more about Children's Museum of New Hampshire at: https://childrens-museum.org

05/29/2026

It's turtle nesting season! Each year, female turtles go to lay their eggs where their moms, grandmothers, and great grandmothers went to lay their eggs. This is an upland, well drained, sunny spot near their water sources, and now, there are often roads built in between their water sources and ancestral nesting site. Check out our most recent visit to CBS 13 News, Portland 's ARC Maine morning show, where our executive director, Kristen, and education & outreach director, Dan, visited with Blossom, our Eastern painted turtle, and Ginger, our ornate box turtle ambassadors to share information about what you can do to keep turtles safe this season!

The Center for Wildlife stopped by the CBS13 and Fox23 studios to t...

05/29/2026

✨ Ambassador Appreciation Friday! ✨

This week’s spotlight is on… Blossom 🧡

Blossom’s story to becoming an ambassador at CFW began in 2007 after she was taken from the wild and kept in captivity. Unfortunately, when wild turtles are kept as pets, they can lose important survival instincts, including their natural fear of predators and their ability to properly forage for food. Blossom was also given an improper diet while in captivity, which led to metabolic bone disorder and caused her shell to curve upward. Because of these long-term impacts, Blossom is non-releasable and now helps teach guests about the importance of keeping wildlife wild.

Eastern Painted Turtles get their name from the beautiful red and orange markings along their shells and skin. These aquatic turtles are often found in marshes, streams, lakes, and slow moving rivers, where they spend much of their time swimming, foraging, and basking in the sun to regulate their body temperature.

Painted turtles are omnivores and feed underwater on aquatic plants, insects, crayfish, snails, small fish, tadpoles, mussels, and carrion. In the wild, they can live 35-40 years, but many turtles kept in captivity have shorter lifespans due to improper diets and poor care.

Blossom has become a wonderful ambassador for her species, helping guests learn about native turtles, aquatic ecosystems, responsible wildlife stewardship, and the challenges turtles face from roads, habitat loss, and the pet trade. She is a great reminder that even common native species require specialized care and play an important role in the ecosystems they call home.

📝 Want to support Blossom’s care?
You can sponsor her through our Adopt an Ambassador Program! It’s a meaningful way to connect with one of our non-releasable animals and support the work we do every day. We offer three adoption levels: Level 1 ($30), Level 2 ($50), and Level 3 ($100), each with its own special package. Adoptions also make great gifts for friends or relatives!

👉 Learn more: https://www.thecenterforwildlife.org/adopt-an-ambassador

05/28/2026

Help us reach our spring fundraising goal of $150,000 to support our wildlife clinic and education team! Funding will go directly towards the staff time, food, medication, housing, & husbandry needed to support our conservation medicine and environmental education programs to meet current and growing demands. Center for Wildlife has been proud to serve our community for 40 years now - all without government funding! It's largely thanks to individual donations from our community that have kept our doors open for the last 40 years, and with your continued support, we look forward to another 40+ years!

🎉We're off to a HEAD-START thanks to an anonymous donor! We have received a very generous offer of a challenge match up to $50,000! This means that all gifts made in May & June up to $50,000 will be matched! DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT and donate now at www.thecenterforwildlife.org/donate 💚

05/28/2026

🕵️ Can You Name This New England Native Bird Species?

Already know the name? Then here are some next-level questions for our fellow bird enthusiasts out there:

#1) This species is known for a dramatic “broken-wing” display. What is it trying to lure away from its nest?

#2) Why can its speckled eggs be so hard to spot?

#3) The chicks are precocial. What does that mean they can do shortly after hatching?

Comment below with your guesses! The answers will be revealed later today 👇