Why is This Important?

How Do We Accomplish This?

Here’s What we are doing: 

• Working with the Child Development Council of Franklin County to host a Head Start “Science Night” bringing over 200 families and their preschoolers to the Center in January.
• Working with Columbus City Schools Early Childhood Education Dept. to host their family night in March bringing over 150 families to the Center.
• Working with two Columbus and Franklin County Parks and Recreation Centers to offer nature inspired after school and Friday Night Family programming.
• Inspiring conservation action through the arts by offering a variety of art exhibitions including “Artificial Modernity” which critiques human impact on birds, while highlighting the resilience and beauty of nature to adapt to change and modernization. 
• Conservation Classroom continues as an immersive, year-long partnership between Columbus City Schools and the Grange Insurance Audubon Center supported in part by the Columbus Foundation. Partner classrooms visit GIAC three times throughout the school year for nature-based, STEAM infused exploratory learning. All content is standard aligned and meets state science curriculum requirements. Students are engaged in a variety of hands-on activities including birdwatching, invasive species removal, winter sowing, and native tree planting. The Conservation Classroom partnership not only expands students’ academic understanding of the environment but deepens their own personal connection with nature as well. During the 2023-24 school year, we have partnered with 17 Columbus City Schools classrooms engaging 360 students ranging from 3rd-6th grade. This spring, the students are planting Eastern Redbud saplings to reforest the land off the Scioto Greenway trail. By May, they will have planted over 75 trees!
• Now in its fourth year, the Native Plant Backyard Challenge will kick-off April 7 with almost 200 new participants joining the 500 participants who have already taken the challenge to transform their existing outdoor spaces into native habitats.
• Our Motus Tower is now operable and plans are in the works to begin bird banding at the Center to track and  collect  migratory bird data soon.
• Community science workshops (Milk Jug Winter Sowing,  and Bird Language) were offered in February and March with naturalist Jared Goodyknootz. 
• Center staff is now participating weekly in Lights Out Columbus by collecting injured and deceased birds from the grounds of downtown Columbus during peak spring and fall migration months. Live birds are transported to the Ohio Wildlife Center for care and treatment through their rehabilitation program. All deceased birds are processed by the OSU Museum of Biological Diversity and used for research purposes. 
• Working with the National Science Foundation to create and execute STEM guided nature experiences to audiences aged 18-25.
• Encouraging audiences less likely to engage in nature to participate in unique programs and installations at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park like the Homing Audio Movement Journey created by two performing artists and recently introduced at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park through a partnership with Grange Insurance Audubon Center and support by Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Art Council.
• Continuing to work with local organizations like Seeds of Caring to host large community events like the “Kids as Planet Protectors” Earth Day Celebration on April 20 which has expanded to include over 25 partner organization’s offering activities and stations inside and outside of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Expected attendance is over 500 youth and their families.

THE GRANGE INSURANCE AUDUBON CENTER IS A SELF-SUPPORTED 501-(3C) REGISTERED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION