Read more Nature Centre
Nature Centre.
The Macphail Woods Nature Centre is situated on the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead in Orwell, just up the road from the Orwell Corner Historic Village (Google Maps). Please call 651-2575 or E-mail Gary Schneider at gary at macphail woods dot org for more information or to organize a tour of the Macphail Woods Nature Centre or the forestry project.
The Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, sponsored by the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island and the Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation, began in 1991 with a small native plant nursery and a nature trail. Its purpose is to maintain and restore the natural environment of Macphail Woods and the surrounding watershed, demonstrate and promote examples of forest stewardship and wildlife enhancement, foster environmental awareness and education and encourage community involvement.
Over the years we have created a successful summer program teaching natural history to children, offered dozens of schools tours and hosted visitors from across North America. The Macphail Woods Nature Centre is a natural extension of this work.
From humble beginnings
Nature centre was originally a barn in need of repairs.
The Nature Centre occupies the barn at the Macphail Homestead. The building was in poor shape when we began the project in 1997. It had a leaking roof, rotting sills and had become a haven for a variety of cats, raccoons and skunks. It made sense to turn the building into an asset to the overall property by creating an affordable learning centre that was warm and welcoming. Though it was always seen as a renovation and not a restoration, we worked with the existing structure and many of the handhewn beams are still visible inside. Most of the wood used to create new floors, joists and wall coverings came from our forest restoration work. The eastern larch on some of the walls and the stairway came from trees infected with bark beetle. The white spruce used for studding, rafters and floor joists, was removed in a series of small patch cuts that were replanted in a mix of native species.
A new look at natural history
The first floor, which is wheelchair accessible, is given over to a large teaching area and a display room full of information and examples of the natural history of Prince Edward Island. The display area takes you through the seasons and includes sections on owls, nests, nocturnal animals, the importance of dead wood, biodiversity and more.
Nature centre has a number of specimens on display.
The Nature Centre has already been used by students in our summer program, visiting preschool, public school, college and university students. There is great potential for the building, especially tied in with our extensive nursery, three nature trails, pond, streams, and ongoing forest restoration work. It offers a unique opportunity to all visitors, whether they have come for a full day workshop on mushrooms, an owl prowl or just a look at displays of birds and mammals.
We are also working to develop closer links with Holland College and the University of PEI to share expertise and offer a place to conduct research into a variety of topics and issues.
Close up of the nature centre entrance.
Our hopes and dreams
We are still working on the second floor of the building and will be adding to the displays as we get more resources. Eventually we would like to build an addition that would house more displays and include a section on the original Acadian forest and the many faunal species we have lost.
People have been most generous, giving of time, materials and money. This support has allowed us to progress at a greater than anticipated rate. We do feel that there are lots of materials in the community that we can recycle and make good use of at the Nature Centre. Here are some of the things we are looking for:
- mounted specimens of birds and mammals
- books on natural history, biology, science, forestry or agriculture
- binoculars
- computers (486 or better, preferably with a modem and/or CD)
- slide projector, slide display table
- good quality tables and chairs
We are still looking for funding to purchase some items and finish the second floor. If you would like to make a donation, please send a cheque payable to
c/o Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead
Orwell P.O., Vernon, PEI C0A 1E0
And if you would like to volunteer some of your time - whether painting, teaching, carpentry, fundraising or whatever, please call 651-2575. Your efforts will be well received and help to make a difference.
What we can offer
For schools, we now have facilities for short tours and full day visits. Students learn about the importance of protecting our waterways, the value of native forests, identifying Island flora and fauna, and restoring and maintaining a healthy environment.
Through the forestry project, we have carried out plantings at over a dozen Island schools and can offer help with the planning and planting of native species. We also encourage schools to set up their own nurseries and can provide both seeds and expertise with these initiatives.
For other visitors, we offer site tours and workshops on a variety of topics - from tree pruning to mushroom identification. We also are developing a library with both books and magazines related to natural history, ecological forestry, sustainable agriculture and watershed restoration.
The combination of indoor displays and teaching space and the nearby trails and woodlands that facilitates hands on teaching and environmental restoration is truly unique. Our goal is to create an affordable building that can sustained as part of our ecological forestry project.
One of our many walks and talks.
DONORS/SUPPORTERS
The Macphail Woods Nature Centre has been supported by the following:
PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund
Canada Trust
Friends of the Environment Foundation
Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Program
Province of Prince Edward Island
Regional Development Support Program
The Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation
The Environmental Coalition of PEI
Island Tel
MacLean's Ready Mix
Ben Livingstone and Sons
Jack Pennock & Bev Cody
Katherine Lockhart
Nancy & Florence MacPherson
Tanya Craig
Audrey Wilkinson
Wendell Profitt
Kevin Jeffrey
Avalon House Design
Barry King
Community Museum Association of PEI
Kings County Construction
and many other kind donors
