Forty years ago, residents from the Shawano, Bonduel and Clintonville areas gathered to create a nature center to help educate people of all ages.
“We are staying true to that original mission statement,” said Tim Ewing, Navarino Nature Center director and naturalist.
Navarino Nature Center will mark its 40-year anniversary with a series of activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18.
Events will include speakers, activities for children, historical displays and presentations, food and cake.
“Branching Out: 40 years of growth at Navarino Nature Center” is the anniversary theme.
“Our mission is to educate people of all ages on the importance of conserving natural resources and wildlife habitat, promoting renewable energy and developing a healthy lifestyle by engaging in wellness opportunities,” said Ewing, who started part time with the nature center in 2000. “The nature center began in cooperation with the DNR and first established a basic trail system.”
A cabin was built in 1990 and used for 10 years. Several part-time naturalists came and went, with an educational building constructed in 1999.
Offerings at the nature center include programs for public, private and homeschooled students; the general public; senior citizens; children’s summer camps; and community education.
“We’ve increased accessibility with boardwalks and gravel trails,” Ewing said. “We couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers we’ve had over the years.”
Navarino Nature Center partners with Shawano County for senior meal programs the first Thursday of each month April through November. It has become so popular that the nature center will add its own senior programming on the third Thursday of those months.
The kiosk in the parking lot will be replaced this year, and upgrades will be made to the outhouse. Boardwalks were repaired in the past couple years.
Ewing notes that the nature center operates on membership dues, donations, program fees and grants. There are no state or local tax dollars used.
“We’re successful, because we allow people to get out and enjoy nature,” he said. “We make it easier for people to get at it. Many people don’t even come into the educational building. They park in the lot and head to the trails.”
The Navarino Wildlife Area encompasses about 15,000 acres, with 1,000 acres surrounding the heart of the nature center being used extensively by the staff and volunteers for programs.
At the 40-year anniversary event, Open Door Bird Sanctuary live raptors can be seen from 10-11:30 a.m.
Nationally known speaker Karen Oberhauser, from the Clintonville area, will offer a presentation on monarch butterflies from 12:30-2 p.m.
There will be historical displays, and the storybook trail for children will touch on the history of the nature center.
All activities are free.
Make your reservation at https://www.navarino.org/events/40th-anniversary-celebration. This will help staff and volunteers know how many items and how much food will be needed for the day.
The nature center is located at W5646 Lindsten Road, Shiocton.
Two sandhill cranes have a lot to say to each other in a field near the Navarino Nature Center in October 2024. (Carol Ryczek)
Wild turkeys look for food in the Navarino State Wildlife Area in Shawano County in October 2024. (Carol Ryczek)
Roberta Bushmaker, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife technician, talks with a group of seniors about the DNR’s duck banding program in fall 2025 at Navarino Nature Center. (File | NEW Media)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff explain to Gresham Community School students how they estimate fish populations in lakes and what they do with that information. This was one of the nine environmental education stations featured at Youth Conservation Day at the Navarino Nature Center in fall 2024. (File | NEW Media)
