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    Howell Nature Center

    4.4 (31 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Howell Nature Center Photos

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    John M.

    A Nature Center that rehabilitates injured animals from the wild. There are over 200 acres to explore . Exhibits are clearly marked but some are in need of repair. Numerous well marked natural paths guide you thru the nature center and surrounding forest. Huge kids play area..great for food trips and Summer Camps. Parking is free but there is an admission price of 8.00 per Adult and 6.00 per Child/Seniors. Mostly volunteers work at the Nature Center and they rely on donations to keep the Center operating. An animal clinic to treat injured animals is also on site and they offer many educational programs as well. The staff is very dedicated..you won't be disappointed.

    Annette J.

    I haven't had the pleasure of visiting the Nature Center as a guest yet but I have to give them 5 stars for their wonderful rehabilitation center and caring staff members. A few months back my dog found an injured baby bunny in our yard (he was very sweet and just sniffed her and then barked to alert us of her presence). We've had baby bunnies in our yard before and during the pandemic I got REALLY into protecting them as best as I could. I had a rabbit as a pet growing up so I have a soft spot for them, even though they like to eat many of my plants! Anyway, I spent my time covering the nests from flooding rains, putting netting over them to keep hungry crows out, putting out a trail cam so I could keep an eye out for predators, etc, etc. But of course, they're wild so I never handled them personally. Just gave them the protection they needed to stay safe until they left the nest. Because of this, I also learned quite a bit about the life cycle of rabbits and one look at this baby I knew she was not ready to leave the nest yet. Her eyes were closed, her ears were down. She was definitely still dependent on mama. I searched for a nest in our yard that I may have missed but found nothing. So I deduced that she'd been carried in. I gently picked her up and didn't notice any visible injuries so I wanted to give her a fighting chance. I immediately called around several places but no one was willing to take a baby that smol, until I reached the Howell Nature Center. Immediately they gave me tips on keeping her safe and warm and instructed me to bring her in. I drove the 45 minutes with baby in a shoebox with sock full of rice and washcloths. When I arrived I filled out some intake forms and handed her over, hoping for the best. Everyone was SO nice and they carefully handled her and I could tell she was being cared for with love. It was April so they had a ton of babies in their care so updates could be hard to come by but I was able to sign up with a form to get an update when they had time. A week later I got a call that unfortunately my poor bun had internal injuries so there wasn't much they could do but at least she lived out the last of her moments warm and being cared for, vs freezing alone at night in the cold and in pain. It wasn't the outcome I was hoping for, of course, but I still really commend them for doing the hard work of caring for our wild creatures, both great and small. It can't be an easy job physically, financially, or emotionally. PS--if you want to support the work they do they do take donations to help run the rehabilitation center. In the spring they had a drive called the "baby shower" to help care for the influx of babies in particular. You can make these donations easily over their website. It's a great cause.

    Annette M.

    Wildlife rehabilitation is the focus here but also a fun spot for families to enjoy nature. Lots of day campers in the summer months. There is an admission fee.

    Called them a few weeks ago about a wounded Sandhill crane! Sent videos and photos they agreed the crane had a wounded wing BUT also said she'll be fine in a public park!!! Really!! She was stranded in a subdivision with kids throwing rocks and all sort of crazy things at her!! I pleaded with this nature center to please come and get this crane and put her in a safe environment.! their answer was she knows where to go to bed down and we can't move her because it's against the law. I found out that's not entirely true! I also found out that the crane is a protected bird. I called every agency in Michigan even reached out to a nature center in Omaha, Nebraska.!! everyone seemed concerned except for howell nature center !!! I asked what about the below zero temperature that is coming oh, she'll be fine. Cranes can survive winters in Michigan!! what??? She was in the rain and then the temperature dropped to-22 degrees. I had to watch this inhumane event unfold. I cried every day. It was the hardest thing to watch.!! I left messages on their phone of me crying literally. Begging pleading daily. Please help this crane. She's stuck in a park. Well sadly Rachael (that's what I named her) passed away from the elements and I'll spare you the harsh details about her death!! SHAME ON YOU!! They turned their backs on her and I can't imagine what she went thru before she finally died!!! I'm not a fan of Howell nature center!! This is Rachael!! She's finally in peace!!! Good bye my friend!!! I'm giving them zero stars but unfortunately I have to give one to be able to post

    A fun decorative place to take a picture. Reminded me a bit of Disney's Animal Kingdom
    Christine B.

    This place is so great. I love the fact that they take in animals who are injured or unable to return to the wild. I haven't been here in years since a field trip with my older two kids. I brought my youngest a teen and had a great morning. On recommendations from a friend and due to the pandemic, you have to purchase tickets so they can control admittance. My plans changed due to a work injury and I called them up to pick another day and I was able to switch it. There is a lot of critters from rabbits, birds, owls, turtles to bobcats, fox and coyote. The habitats are well designed for the animal and there is a lot of information regarding each animal at the habitat including why they are there. All staff were wearing masks and we would pull ours up when others passed which was rarely. It was easy to socially distance here. A truly great experience.

    Nathasja T.

    True story. One day my husband is driving along with the window open, and a dead possum lays in the middle of the road. Too late to roll up (potential stink, yuck) he hears a tiny little noise coming from the nearby brush. After some investigating and giving up, he meanders away on his merry way to wherever he was going. Half an hour later while on the phone with myself, he can't let go of the noise and tells me about it. He picks me up and we go investigate some more. Well, a tiny little baby possum the size of a small mouse is crawling around, crying for his mommy. Of course this happened on a Sunday and of course we have no idea what to do. Leaving it seems sad - so I start Googling. Eventually I find *this* place, and they tell us to go ahead and bring him in. We make a little possum bed out of a large Tupperware bin and a towel we find in the trunk, and off we go on our way to Howell. We arrived and dropped off "Dot" the possum in the capable hands of the staff. They rehabilitate stray wildlife to the point where in the near future it can once again be released into the wild. Attached to this area is a nice nature trail, as the center is in a wooded area. A cool plus is that along this trail they have numerous animals indigenous to Michigan for viewing. All these animals have been rescued and are for whichever reason not capable to be re-released into the wild. There are plenty of birds such as owls, hawks, etc (even a bald eagle), deer, raccoons, and so many more along the trail. This would be a nice place to take your family, go for a walk, check out the animals, learn a thing or two and maybe enjoy a picknick. Since most of our day was 'shot' because of this little excursion to Howell, we were unable to stick around for too long. We spent about an hour perusing the grounds but could have easily spent double that time if we took our time doing the trails. Entrance is free, but donations are highly recommended.

    Fire building!
    Christina M.

    Outstanding staff that made our field trip so memorable. The grounds are beautiful & well maintained. The activities are engaging and truly do teach students how to work together and be respectful to nature. We did zip lining, fire & shelter building, night hike, bonfires, rock climbing, high ropes, and archery. Any down time was filled with games outside. We did go out rain or shine, so be prepared for that! Our group stayed in 3 of the cabins and they were all well maintained. Of course, they are not luxury (it is camp after all) but they were comfortable and all had hot water! The only issue we had was one night a fire alarm went off in one of the cabins. Apparently this happens often - when the shower fills the room with too much steam. Be prepared to shut this off on your own! (I would ask ahead of time just in case!) Meal time required our students to help set the table and clean up after themselves. This may seem silly, but students really learned a lot by doing this! They couldn't leave the room until everything was put back the way it was. I really appreciated this life lesson being taught because it was clear that this didn't happen at home for a lot of them. Our group will definitely be back for years to come!

    Rebecca E.

    We drove over an hour to get here and it was so worth it! The animals were fun to see but the play area was my three year olds favorite part. We played for hours and she was devastated when we had to leave. Big waterfall/shallow pond that's manmade for the kids to play in, giant tree house, so much all natural fun. You'll get wet and dirty, but you won't care. Wish we lived closer.

    Ben, the guide, with the huge rabbit!

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    Great nature center, our guide was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

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    Ask the Community - Howell Nature Center

    Review Highlights - Howell Nature Center

    Our guide (group broken up into sub-groups), had an app with owl calls on it-audubon's was mentioned-and off we went.

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