Help build a place for the wild – where the unique wildlife of the region can find safe haven, and visitors can enjoy a hike, learn about local wildlife conservation issues, and become involved in its efforts. Such a place – the Susquehannock Wildlife Center, a first-of-its kind hub for wildlife education, research, and rehabilitation in northern Maryland – is already under construction, but is in need of additional support.
The Susquehannock Wildlife Center, currently under construction and renovation, is located on the 20-acre Hopkins Branch Wildlife Management Area property in Darlington.
Once complete, the wildlife center will educate and entertain visitors with museum-quality displays, hands-on activities, and live-animal education ambassadors. In the lower level of the facility, Susquehannock Wildlife Society will conduct conservation research and will expand its already successful wildlife rescue and research efforts in a laboratory setting. An indoor classroom will allow students and visitors to watch and participate in the activities, as appropriate. On the upper level of the facility, the organization will maintain its corporate offices, meeting space, and an environmental library.
Once open to the public, visitors will also be able to hike more than a mile of trails along a creek, past a pond, and through meadow and woodland; offering excellent wildlife-watching opportunities and scenic views of the historic village of Darlington and rolling countryside of the Deer Creek valley. Some of the future projects visitors can look forward to include:
Scenic Overlook/Stargazing Platform – By day, visitors are able to look down into the rolling countryside of the Deer Creek valley and watch an extraordinary congregation of birds and butterflies flutter through acres of wildflower meadow. By night, visitors have the rare opportunity to turn their gaze upward and stare upon a dark sky, with a reduced amount of unnatural light, for an unprecedented view of the starfield and its array of constellations, planets, and other celestial bodies within a short drive.
Outdoor Amphitheatre – A natural hollow beside the wildlife center provides the perfect setting for stadium-style seating in an outdoor setting. By day, visitors will be able to participate in educational programs and presentations with wind in their hair and grass beneath their feet. By night, visitors will have a chance to watch wildlife-themed movies on our big screen while still enjoying the outdoors with the moon and stars above them.
Campfire Classroom – An outdoor experience just isn’t complete without a good chat around the campfire. Susquehannock Wildlife Society takes the traditional campfire a step further with a custom-built campfire ring and outdoor classroom. Thanks to a soon-to-be Eagle Scout from Harford County Boy Scout Troop 973, visitors will be able to sit comfortably around the crackling campfire enjoying the ambiance of the flickering flames and babbling of the nearby creek, or participating in an environmental lesson in an outdoor classroom setting.
Other projects – including a Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly restoration area, native fruit orchard, honeybee apiary, bat colony, and owl nesting area – are also planned for the site. But none of this will be possible without the support and funding of those interested and motivated by the Susquehannock Wildlife Society’s vision.
Original Announcement from June 23, 2015
Susquehannock Wildlife Society has partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for management of a newly acquired Harford County property, to protect and enhance the sensitive habitat and begin work on what will become the region’s first dedicated wildlife center.
The property – now officially known as the Hopkins Branch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) – was purchased by the state of Maryland this spring through Program Open Space funding. In an effort to alleviate manpower and maintenance costs for the state, DNR entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Susquehannock Wildlife Society to oversee year-round maintenance of the property and structures.
The site is bisected by an important tributary of Deer Creek, contains vernal pool, open meadow, woodland, and wetland ecosystems, and provides habitat to numerous species of wildlife, including the rare and declining state insect, the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly.
At Hopkins Branch WMA, Susquehannock Wildlife Society will protect threatened habitat, monitor and enhance existing natural attributes, use the property to provide wildlife interpretation and education to the public, and conduct native wildlife rescue and rehabilitation operations.
An existing house and barn on the site will be renovated and converted by Susquehannock Wildlife Society into a first-of-its-kind local wildlife center and rescue and rehabilitation facility. Within the wildlife center, visitors will be educated and entertained by museum-quality displays, hands-on activities, and live-animal education ambassadors. Having a permanent facility will also allow Susquehannock Wildlife Society to expand its already active and successful wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts – offering space for licensed wildlife rehabbers to care for and house local injured and orphaned animals until they can be released back into the wild.
Once open to the public, visitors will be able to hike more than a mile of trails along a creek, past a pond, and through meadow and woodland; offering excellent bird- and wildlife-watching opportunities and scenic views of the countryside.
With this announcement comes a direct appeal from Susquehannock Wildlife Society to the public in search of funding and donations to support the maintenance and operation of the wildlife center as well our existing education and conservation endeavors. Susquehannock Wildlife Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and your contribution is a fully tax deductible donation. You may send a check or donate securely online through our website.
