Saturday, May 9 the Howell Nature Center held its first Community Appreciation Day to show the surrounding public the Nature Center’s wide array of activities.
HNC is Michigan’s largest wildlife rehabilitation facility and it is also home to a multitude of outdoor activities including nature camps, overnight retreat facilities, educational programs and a high adventure program. HNC is nearly 300 acres and it serves over 45,000 people.
“I think the whole idea behind Community Appreciation Day was to thank the thousands of members from surrounding communities for their support and to welcome newcomers,” said HNC director Dana DeBenham.
The all-day event featured free zip line rides, canoeing, Heifer Global Village tours, NatureScape, hayrides, NatureZone and tours with the wildlife handlers.
“We thought with over 300 people registered that it would be a little crazy but our activities are spread out over our 300 acres so it’s been very manageable,” said DeBenham. “Overall it’s been a really positive response.”
Community Appreciation Day participants were welcomed to try one of the HNC’s seven zip lines for free.
“We found out about Community Appreciation Day when we were looking into the HNC’s zip line tour,” said Laura Ouelette. “Then on the HNC website we saw that there would be free canoeing, zip lining, and hot dogs and we decided this would be a good experience for the kids.”
HNC staff hoped that the public would take advantage of the opportunity to experience the entire HNC firsthand.
“I hope that today people realize that we offer so much more than just wildlife rehabilitation,” said Rachel Clapper, HNC environmental educator. “We have zip lines, a climbing tower and a high ropes course.”
The majority of the HNC staff believes that the surrounding community has a limited view of the Nature Center.
“I jokingly say that we’re the best kept secret in the state,” Beth Baumgartner, HNC environmental educator said. “It’d be really awesome to show the public everything we have to offer.”
Over 320 people pre-registered for Community Appreciation Day so HNC staff prepared for a massive amount of visitors for the event.
“Everything is going smoothly,” said Baumgartner. “We had a lot of front heavy prep for this event so the volunteers and staff are really stepping up.”
Some visitors were pleasantly surprised by their zip lining experiences.
“We came to Community Appreciation Day to check out the wildlife and try out zip lining,” said Jacki Hawkins. “Zip lining actually wasn’t terrifying.”
Other community members left with unanticipated takeaways from Community Appreciation Day activities.
“The kids all want zip lines at home after today,” said Ouelette.
Overall, the public’s response was extremely positive and the community walked away with more knowledge of the HNC in its entirety.
“I came to this event because I’ve been dying to take advantage of the spring weather and spend time outside,” said Sara Hiett. “But being here has made me realize that this place is so much more than just a wildlife rehabilitation center.”
