Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education

08/12/2026

The baby squirrels are here! Tiny orphaned baby squirrels have been making their way into our wildlife clinic. This is the second litter of infants for this year. Squirrel moms will have two- possibly three- litters per year, so these little ones keep her busy all summer long!

A baby squirrel on the ground doesn't always mean that squirrel is orphaned. Sometimes babies will take a tumble from their nest and mom may need some time to find her little one. You can place the baby squirrel in a shallow box with a towel or something else to keep warm. The box must be shallow enough for mom to be able to get into and out of in order to retrieve her baby. Give mom a few hours to locate the baby. Sometimes playing the sounds of a baby squirrel crying from your phone can help alert her to the location!

If the baby is clearly injured, is covered in bugs, or seems thin, then the squirrel needs immediate medical attention. Contact your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator for instructions on best next steps. You can find a list of Pennsylvania Rehabilitators at www.pawr.com

Our staff and volunteers spend hours providing care to orphaned wildlife. Caring for babies requires time intensive care and close monitoring. Our work is not supported by the government, and requires donations in order for us to employ skilled staff, train volunteers, and purchase the supplies needed to provide care. Please donate to the clinic to help us continue to care for baby animals: https://schuylkillcenter.org/wildlife-clinic/support-the-wildlife-clinic/

08/11/2026

The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education is hiring a Director of Development to guide its fundraising efforts. Candidates must be strategic thinkers with at least seven years of fundraising experience and demonstrated results in annual fund and major gift solicitation, membership and planned giving, with a passion for education and the environment. Salary range: $87,000-$92,000

Learn more about this position and how to apply on our website.

Founded in 1965 as a pioneer in environmental education, the Schuylkill Center continues to innovate, teach, and grow.

08/10/2026

These are just a few of the adorable animals receiving care at the Wildlife Clinic this season. Thank you to our dedicated staff, amazing volunteers, and generous donors who support the only wildlife clinic in the city of Philadelphia.

Photos: Susan Slawinski

08/07/2026

Does your student go to Shawmont School or Green Woods Charter School? We offer pickup to our after-school program, Wild Wanderers, from your school! Named to the best of Philly 2026 list, Wild Wanderers includes hikes, art, stewardship, and environmental education. Only 9 spaces are left for after-school transport, so don't wait to sign up!

Learn more and sign up: https://schuylkillcenter.org/education/wild-wanderers/

08/06/2026

The Schuylkill Center hosted a butterfly count this week to survey the butterfly and moth species on the preserve. It wasn’t long until we spotted lots of butterflies around our Visitor Center gardens, which features a wide variety of flowers and host plants. Among the butterflies we spotted were the silver spotted skipper and tiger swallowtail butterfly.

If you look closely, you can see the butterfly’s proboscis poking into flowers, drinking up the nectar. This specialized mouthpart is actually made up of two separate structures, which zip together into a straw-like tube.

Photos: Susan Slawinski

08/06/2026

Nickolas has been working hard at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education this summer. Between leading field trips and learning about the watershed, he created a scavenger hunt for families and children to do together as they walk the trails. Nickolas really enjoys learning new things that he can then turn around and teach others.

You could see milkweed, painted turtles, monarchs, and more as you walk up to 4 miles of trails! Make sure to grab one of these new scavenger hunts the next time you visit the Schuylkill Center.

Thank you Nickolas, for encouraging youth and their families to take up space in their green spaces.

08/05/2026

Over the weekend we watched and waited with bated breath as 12 new lives hatched! Our Wildlife Clinic welcomed 12 tiny hatchling Northern Red-Bellied Cooters after incubating them for several months. Unfortunately, their mother had been struck by a vehicle and passed away from her injuries. Before she died, she laid 12 beautiful eggs. Northern Red-Bellied Cooters are a threatened species in Pennsylvania which makes these babies even more exciting.

Before these turtles are released into wild, we will give them a boost to ensure their success. Baby turtles are self-sufficient once they hatch, but oftentimes have to overcome a huge learning curve to make it through the first few days of life. For these 12, they will learn how to forage, hunt, and swim in a safe environment here at the clinic. Each turtle is marked with a dot of non-toxic paint so we can track each individual’s growth and progress. We plan to keep them through the winter and release them in the spring in the same body of water their mother came from. We look forward to contributing to the population growth of this threatened species.

The fun is just beginning! Follow along on their journey for the next few months to see their development as they go through “Turtle School” at the Schuylkill Center’s Wildlife Clinic.

We are only able to do this work thanks to the support of donations from our community. Without this financial support, the clinic would close and the free services we provide to wildlife would no longer exist in Philadelphia. Please consider giving a gift so we can continue this work to care for wildlife. https://schuylkillcenter.org/wildlife-clinic/support-the-wildlife-clinic/

08/04/2026

The monarch caterpillars are munching on milkweed our garden! Turn over a leaf and you might find a caterpillar smaller than your fingernail! We love to see them grow in our native plant garden.

08/03/2026

A juvenile Catbird perched in a tree in the protected forest at the Schuylkill Center.

Photo: Yucong Li