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Evansville Nature Center Opens New Exhibits

Wesselman Nature Society

A nature center in the middle of Evansville, Indiana is experiencing a rebirth.

The Wesselman Woods Nature Center opened in 1972, but was empty for the last few years.

After a $600,000 renovation, the center has opened new exhibits with a fresh perspective on a nature preserve with deep roots. 

The spotlight is on the importance of the nature center in a 200 acre virgin forest. That forest is now bounded by a mall, a highway and suburban developments.

John Scott Foster is executive director of the Wesselman Nature Society that operates the city-owned preserve.

“The preserve here is basically what most of Indiana looked like for 11,000 years," said Foster. "It’s the largest old growth forest inside a city boundary in the country. So it’s a very significant natural feature that most people didn’t realize.”

Some of the new exhibits highlight two species with big populations in both Indiana and Kentucky.

“We focus on a couple of animals in the interpretive center itself," said Foster. "One of them is the box turtle and one is the pileated woodpecker. Pileated woodpeckers are the biggest woodpecker you would see in Kentucky or Indiana.”

Foster says the center’s mission is “to create experiences that connect people with nature.” 

He says the essential part of that mission is inspiring visitors to appreciate the importance of local plants and animals. Then area residents are more likely to become advocates for protecting the environment.