Western North Carolina Nature Center

The Western North Carolina Nature Center is a 42-acre (17 ha) zoological park in Western North Carolina operated by the City of Asheville's Parks and Recreation department. Until 1973, it was known as the Asheville City Zoo and was then renamed the Children's Zoo and Nature Center. It received its current name in 1974 when formed as a non-profit charity to develop the zoo which ultimately opened in 1976. The Center has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1999 and its collection features animals native to the southern Appalachian Mountains.[2] In 2013 the center welcomed over 107,000 guests with over 13,000 coming from school children on field trips to the facility.[1]

Western North Carolina Nature Center
Date openedMay 1973[1]
LocationAsheville, North Carolina
Land area42 acres (0.17 km2; 17 ha)
No. of species100+
MembershipsAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums
Major exhibitsOtter Falls, Appalachian Station, Appalachian Predators and North Carolina Farm
Websitehttps://wildwnc.org/

In 2010, the Center completed an ambitious 2020 Vision master plan,[3] and in 2013 opened the first phase of this plan with a red wolf exhibit that is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' species survival plan[4] and Arachnid Adventure playground.

As both visitation at the WNC Nature Center and wildlife rehabilitation needs in the area grew, the need for a dedicated facility outside the center became clear. Appalachian Wildlife Refuge was established in the fall of 2014 to fulfill this role and, by summer of 2018, began serving as the primary coordinator for all injured and orphaned wildlife in the region.[5]

A new front entrance complex was opened in September 2018.[6] The following February, the Red Pandas became the first of the prehistoric Appalachian animals.[7] The Prehistoric Appalachia exhibits will feature animals – or their closest living relatives – found in the region 15,000 years ago based on excavations done at the Gray Fossil Site, such as red panda (closest living relative of the Bristol's panda),[8]. Other animals found at the fossil site include tapir,[9] wolverine,[10] and rhinoceros.[11][12]

The center's library pass partnership was expanded to 9 local counties in 2022. A limited number of free passes are available by advanced reservation at local library branches to library card holders through these partnerships.[13]

References
  1. "Our history". Western NC Nature Center.
  2. "Nature Center history".
  3. "Future: 2020 Vision". Friends of WNC NC.
  4. ""Red Zone (Canis Rufus): THIS ENDANGERED WOLF FINDS SAFE HAVEN AT THE WNC NATURE CENTER". WNCmagazine.
  5. ""About Us"". Appalachian Wildlife Refuge.
  6. "New Entrance opens at WNC Nature Center". City of Asheville blog.
  7. ""New Cubs in Town: RED PANDAS TAKE UP RESIDENCE AT THE WNC NATURE CENTER"". WNCmagazine.
  8. "It's official: Red pandas are coming to the WNC Nature Center". ABC News (WLOS). April 26, 2018. "The central Asian range of the modern day red panda is almost identical climate-wise to the Southern Appalachians, so our pandas should feel very much at home in Asheville," said Chris Gentile, WNC Nature Center Director. "The fact that the fossilized remains of their ancestor the Bristol's Panda have been discovered in Eastern Tennessee indicates that these pandas were once prevalent in our area."
  9. Schap, Julia A.; Samuels, Joshua X. (2020-05-26). "Mesowear Analysis of the Tapirus polkensis population from the Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, USA". Palaeontologia Electronica. 23 (2): 1–16. doi:10.26879/875. ISSN 1094-8074.
  10. Samuels, Joshua X.; Bredehoeft, Keila E.; Wallace, Steven C. (2018-04-18). "A new species of Gulo from the Early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site (Eastern United States); rethinking the evolution of wolverines". PeerJ. 6: e4648. doi:10.7717/peerj.4648. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5910791. PMID 29682423.
  11. Short, Rachel; Emmert, Laura (2019). "A new species of Teleoceras (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the Late Hemphillian of Tennessee" (PDF). Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. 56: 183–260 – via Florida Museum of Natural History.
  12. "A new species of rhino". www.etsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  13. ""Green in Brief: Good to Know"". Mountain Xpress. June 9, 2022. Library cardholders across nine area counties, including Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison, can now check out free passes to the WNC Nature Center. Each pass admits up to two adults and four children. More information is available through local branch libraries.
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