DCHS’s Wildlife Center trialed a new, wildlife education initiative in 2025 to help inspire the next generation of rehabilitators and budding conservationists. It started by establishing Camp WildSide over the summer, geared at teaching wildlife biology to youth ages 12-15 years old; however, after a short, but successful season, it was clear there was additional interest in our activities, and from more than just youngsters. Our team would consistently hear “Wow, I wish I could have done this as a kid…” or “Is this open for adults and families?” What began as “wildlife family camp” once per week then turned into Discovery Days – a small idea that blossomed into something much bigger. 

Activities for the day included arts and crafts, open museum collection tables, microscope stations, and three guest presentations by volunteer speakers Jack Pace (Master Falconer); Emily Temte, Dave Mackler, and Amy Leim (Ambassador Turtle-time); and Yushi Oguchi (Anatomy & Bone Studies). Over 45 people attended our first-ever Discovery Day, which is incredible! Moving forward, we hope to schedule future Discovery Days throughout the year with a variety of events for people to enjoy, bringing the community together for the love of learning about wildlife. 

In fact, our next Discovery Day is scheduled from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, May 3rd in the DCHS Barn. If you haven't attended yet, we'd love to have you join us — and if you have, we hope to see you again!