History of the Live Animal Display:

Calkins Nature Area was donated to the Ellsworth Community College Board of Trustees in 1981. Homer Calkins, the donor and executive director of the Hardin County Conservation Board, dedicated his life to helping injured and sick wildlife. Many of the buildings you see on the grounds were Calkins’ originals. In these buildings, Homer cared for owls, hawks, pelicans, exotic birds and pheasants, baby animals, and more. The buildings have since been renovated after Homer’s passing in 1996, but many of the original structures still stand. We continue to preserve Homer’s legacy by housing rehabilitated wildlife at the nature center. We even have one of Homer’s great horned owls (Grumpy) who celebrated his 30th birthday with us in 2018. There are over 80 animals here including mammals, waterfowl, raptors, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.  Our animals are non-releasable because of physical limitations or human imprinting, which is why your adoption dollars are so crucial to their survival in a captive environment. They need all the help they can get!