Summer Programs

Brand New Program! - Jul 26-30 2010

2010 Junior Genesis Rehabber Program Wildlife - All kids ages 11-15 are invited to attend our week-long Summer Camp in July. Your child will be deputized a Junior Wildlife Rehabilitator. Our program will offer hands-on educational oppurtunites with over 138 different animals here at the center. Trail walks with animal track recognition. Help our staff feed our permanent residents! Sign-up now while space is still available! Camp will be at Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary on Beech Mountain (next to the Buckeye Lake Recreation Center).

Ages 6 to 11

Children between the ages of 6 and 11 whose parents wish for them to experience a wildlife adventure may participate in a 3-day summer camp program.

These children will have projects that teach and are fun to accomplish.

Activities may include:

Daily close-up introductions to the wildlife of north carolina

Building & decorating bird-houses, feeders, or squirrel boxes

Identifying animal tracks and making plaster casts

Informative walks by the lake

Identifying and pressing wildflowers for bookmarks

Making paper and stepping stones from recycled materials

Disassembling a sterilized owl pellet to learn about the owl's diet

Interactive digital trips to the rainforest, wetlands or desert

Cost for this 5-day camp is $250.00

Ages 12 to 18

For serious students, aged 12 through 18, we offer a five-day summer class.

This intensive learning experience will run Monday through Friday, from 10AM to 4PM.

Two junior interns will be selected per week. They will work closely with a full-time instructor, following wildlife cases from admission through release, taking an active part in the animal's care. They will learn how to identify a featherless bird or furless mammal, what kind of a diet to feed each individual, and how to house them properly.

During the week, interns will experience:

A one-day basic wildlife rehabilitation course

Hands on training in our clinic

Daily interaction with our wildlife

Opportunities for growth in leadership skills

Cost for the internship is $250.

This will include all of the following:

Lesson Plan Notebook

Daily Journal

Intern t-shirt

Certificate of Completion

Basic Wildlife Care Manual

Hand-out literature

Senior Internship

Available to high school and college students, this internship involves a 40-hour minimum requirement. Completion is expected within one semester. In the last half of the internship, student will assist with supervision of Junior interns and volunteers, will perform without direct assistance, will prepare wildlife diets, maintain hygiene of habitats, exercise judgment and care of new patient intakes and directly assist with the handling of injured wildlife.

Graduate Internship

For students in college, we offer a 4-week to 24-week comprehensive teaching program. The latter is a 300 hour minimum internship to be completed within a 6- month period.

This position is generally filled by a student with an advanced interest in wildlife biology or pre-veterinary program. This position may also include a live-in opportunity and a stipend. Call for details.

This internship may be performed for college credit. Be sure to contact us well in advance, so that we can make the appropriate arrangements with your institution.

Free Year-Round Programs for the Public

The staff at Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary is happy to announce that we have expanded our educational focus! We now offer a wide variety of free educational programs for the public. We are happy to visit school auditoriums, individual classes, scout gatherings and community meetings. The following is a list of programs available from Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary. With sufficient notice, we may also tailor an educational visit to meet the needs of your current curriculum.

We are always open to further suggestions and requests. Let us know what YOU want!

Basic Programs

Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary: (all ages) Description: General info about Genesis Wildlife, native animals of North Carolina, and respect for wildlife. Specific accounts of the non-releasable animals brought, and a final question and answer session.
Animals: Hawk, Owl, two Mammals
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes

Share the World: (elementary school) Description: Follow-up program for

Share the World video. To reinforce lessons on respect and compassion for animals.
Animals: Two wild animals, domestic Iguana and Ferret
Time: specify 30 to 60 minutes

Wildlife Programs

Creatures of the Night: (elem. to adult) Description: All about the lives of nocturnal animals' habitats, eyesight, diets, and other adaptations for this lifestyle.
NOTE: Owl pellet workshop (middle school and up) recommended as a supplement, either before or after the program. This workshop can be conducted without a visiting educator.
Animals: 2 Owls, Opossum, Flying Squirrel.
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes
Animals Nobody Loves: (elem. to adult) Description: An introduction to the little-loved, less-known wildlife of North Carolina. How they acquired their bad reputation, why they are important to the ecosystem, and what makes them unique and respectable.
Animals: Opossum, Crow, Groundhog, Raptor
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes
Dealing With Winter : (elementary to adult) Description: A close-up view of four North Carolina animals and how they cope with our heavy winters. Learn about Hibernation, Food Stashing, Physical Adaptations, Migration, Habitat building, and more!
Animals: Groundhog, Owl, Hawk, Flying Squirrel
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes
Amazing Animal Mothers: (elem. to adult) Description: Motherhood in the animal kingdom, the amazing ways that animals bring up their young in North Carolina's harsh outdoor world.
Animals: Opossum, Crow, Squirrel, Raptor
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes
Raptors: Hunters of the Sky (elem. to adult) Description: Face-to-face encounter with four fascinating birds of prey. What makes them such successful hunters, how they capture their prey in the daytime or darkness, and other unique and special features. (Owl pellet workshop encouraged as a supplement to this program.)
Animals: Hawk, Kestrel, and 2 Owls
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes

Environment / Ecology

Biodiversity (elementary to high school) Description: What is biodiversity? How is biodiversity important to an ecosystem? Hands-on class activity to illustrate the concept of biodiversity, and an introduction to a sample of North Carolina's diverse wildlife.
Animals: Raptor, Opossum, Songbird, Groundhog
Time: specify 60 to 90 minutes
Rainforests: (elementary and middle school) Description: Discussion of the plight of rainforests, and ways we can better utilize tropical forest resources. Hands-on class activity with rainforest-derived products. Excellent interactive supplement to rainforest curriculum.
NOTE: the Digital Rainforest (middle school and up) recommended as a supplement, either before or after our visit. This program can be conducted without a visiting educator.
Animals: Iguana and Cockatiel for programs longer than 1 hour.
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes
Natural Resources "our Right or Responsibility": (elem. through adult) Description: An overview of natural resources, what they are, how we utilize them, and how they are extracted from the earth. Tips on how to best conserve our resources, review of the three R's, and hands-on recycling games.
Animals: Hawk or Owl, and one Mammal
Time: specify 60 to 90 minutes
Happy Holidays! Environmentally Healthy Holiday Choices: (middle school to adult) Description: Discussion of commercially driven holiday culture and the effects of this lifestyle on the environment. Suggestions for non-commercial gift and celebration ideas. Also, the implications of pets as gifts. Recommended for church and/or community groups.
Animals: Owl, Hawk, and one Mammal
Time: specify 30 to 90 minutes

Other Programs

Scout Badge Programs: (elem. to high)

Description: Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary offers opportunities to work towards a variety of Boy Scout and Girl Scout merit badges. Completing a badge may require visits to the center, as well as volunteer time. Call to inquire about your specific needs!
Animals: vary according to program
Time: varies according to program and needs

Owl Pellet Workshop: (elem. to adult)

Description: This workshop can be conducted without a visiting educator. Students will have the opportunity to disassemble owl pellets and identify the bones of the animals the owl has eaten. Sterilized owl pellets are provided for the number of children specified, along with latex gloves, tweezers, toothpicks, and a master chart for identifying the various bones found in owl pellets.
Animals: None
Time: varies, approximately 60 min

Digital Frog: (middle school to adult)

Description: This is a CD-Rom frog dissection simulation.. It can be conducted without a visiting educator. Students follow comprehensive instructions given on the computer screen, and direct the digital dissection of a frog. Includes digital video footage of each step involved in the dissection. Excellent alternative to the use of live animals. Software license available for entire class.
Time: varies

Digital Rainforest, Desert, or Wetland: (elementary school to adult)

Description: This is a CD-Rom program that involves a guided digital 'field trip' through a rainforest, desert, or wetland allowing the students to experience the sights and sounds of a tropical ecosystem. Includes worksheet resources to reinforce the lesson, and a teacher's guide. Software license available for entire class.
Time: varies