Watkins Nature Center
Watkins Nature Center offers close up wildlife investigation with its resident live animals, hands on exhibits, interpretive programs, and special events. Live animal displays include insects, amphibians, reptiles, and birds of prey. The nature center also features indoor and outdoor ponds, a songbird feeding area, a butterfly/hummingbird garden, composting area, an outdoor turtle exhibit, and our Bird Ambassador display.
Nature hikes, campfires, animal shows, puppet shows, crafts, summer day camps, and other programs attract over 80,000 visitors each year. Specialty programs are offered for school groups, scout groups, home school students, and adults. Volunteer opportunities are offered year round for teens and adults ages 14 and over.
Nature hikes, campfires, animal shows, puppet shows, crafts, summer day camps, and other programs attract over 80,000 visitors each year. Specialty programs are offered for school groups, scout groups, home school students, and adults. Volunteer opportunities are offered year round for teens and adults ages 14 and over.
Our Mission
The mission of Watkins Nature Center is to provide natural history and environmental education opportunities, to manage natural area parkland, and to promote stewardship of our environment by:
--Offering professional, natural, and cultural history programs.
--Operating a nature center with educational exhibits and live-animal displays.
--Providing volunteer projects, school curriculum-based programs, and youth mentoring programs.
--Conducting conservation projects for the general public, school groups, and conservation organizations.
-- Working with Montgomery and Prince George's County Schools to promote the MAEOE Green Schools program in effort to instill a sense of stewardship in students.
This is in conjunction with our Department, the Natural and Historic Resources Division, whose mission is to:
Provide the public with professional natural and historical resource management services, interpretive programs, museums, parks, and special facilities in order to educate our community and encourage stewardship of the diverse natural resources and historical heritage of Prince George’s County.
Watkins Nature Center (WNC) hosted 83,440 visitors in 2023. During that year, we hosted both outreach and onsite programming for 10,053 participants.
--Offering professional, natural, and cultural history programs.
--Operating a nature center with educational exhibits and live-animal displays.
--Providing volunteer projects, school curriculum-based programs, and youth mentoring programs.
--Conducting conservation projects for the general public, school groups, and conservation organizations.
-- Working with Montgomery and Prince George's County Schools to promote the MAEOE Green Schools program in effort to instill a sense of stewardship in students.
This is in conjunction with our Department, the Natural and Historic Resources Division, whose mission is to:
Provide the public with professional natural and historical resource management services, interpretive programs, museums, parks, and special facilities in order to educate our community and encourage stewardship of the diverse natural resources and historical heritage of Prince George’s County.
Watkins Nature Center (WNC) hosted 83,440 visitors in 2023. During that year, we hosted both outreach and onsite programming for 10,053 participants.
Top Five ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. Promoting Sustainable Practices
Watkins Nature Center began a project to help our local environment as well as educate the public. We updated our butterfly/hummingbird garden to include exclusively native plants, monitored blue bird and wood duck boxes throughout the park, and updated our composting exhibit and signage. Numerous classes are offered (Bulb, Plant and Seed Exchange, and Bee Keeping Workshops provided by the Bowie Upper Maryland Beekeeping Association) to provide a hands-on opportunity for the public to learn about run-off, composting, native plant gardening, and wildlife habitat creation and maintenance.
2. Environmental Education Field Experiences
Within the last several years, Watkins Nature Center has integrated Next Generation Science Standard Based Programming for all programming offered. Our Next Generation Science Standard alignment has allowed us to be able to offer grade relevant Lesson Plans to teachers to continue and bridge our lessons with the classroom. We have been able to offer this for Grades K-5.
3. Virtual Programming
Watkins Nature Center began offering virtual programming during the Covid-19 pandemic, to allow us to continue to reach schools with the message of conservation. Today, in conjunction with a partnership with National Park Trust, we continue to offer these programs to schools across the country. All of these classes offer a hands-on component in the form of a kit mailed to the schools ahead of time, and we have reached schools in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Montana, Texas, Nevada, and California.
4. Wildlife Education and Conservation
At Watkins Nature Center, we have over 60 animals. In every opportunity we can we allow these animals to serve as ambassadors to their species in efforts to promote wildlife conservation. We take these animals to schools, community events, and provide wildlife programs at our center. Students and visitors walk away with an experience that connects them to the animals they meet. Our hope is that these experiences will advance their knowledge of sustainable practices in their everyday life and that they will protect the animals they meet.
5. New Volunteer Program
Watkins Nature Center offers a new volunteer program for students ages 14 and up. During their time volunteering, students gain skills in presentation, environmental education, animal care, exhibit design, and other skills that will aid in a future successful career. Students will learn from a wide number of staff members and are encouraged to try new things.
Watkins Nature Center began a project to help our local environment as well as educate the public. We updated our butterfly/hummingbird garden to include exclusively native plants, monitored blue bird and wood duck boxes throughout the park, and updated our composting exhibit and signage. Numerous classes are offered (Bulb, Plant and Seed Exchange, and Bee Keeping Workshops provided by the Bowie Upper Maryland Beekeeping Association) to provide a hands-on opportunity for the public to learn about run-off, composting, native plant gardening, and wildlife habitat creation and maintenance.
2. Environmental Education Field Experiences
Within the last several years, Watkins Nature Center has integrated Next Generation Science Standard Based Programming for all programming offered. Our Next Generation Science Standard alignment has allowed us to be able to offer grade relevant Lesson Plans to teachers to continue and bridge our lessons with the classroom. We have been able to offer this for Grades K-5.
3. Virtual Programming
Watkins Nature Center began offering virtual programming during the Covid-19 pandemic, to allow us to continue to reach schools with the message of conservation. Today, in conjunction with a partnership with National Park Trust, we continue to offer these programs to schools across the country. All of these classes offer a hands-on component in the form of a kit mailed to the schools ahead of time, and we have reached schools in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Montana, Texas, Nevada, and California.
4. Wildlife Education and Conservation
At Watkins Nature Center, we have over 60 animals. In every opportunity we can we allow these animals to serve as ambassadors to their species in efforts to promote wildlife conservation. We take these animals to schools, community events, and provide wildlife programs at our center. Students and visitors walk away with an experience that connects them to the animals they meet. Our hope is that these experiences will advance their knowledge of sustainable practices in their everyday life and that they will protect the animals they meet.
5. New Volunteer Program
Watkins Nature Center offers a new volunteer program for students ages 14 and up. During their time volunteering, students gain skills in presentation, environmental education, animal care, exhibit design, and other skills that will aid in a future successful career. Students will learn from a wide number of staff members and are encouraged to try new things.