All Photographs by Mike WIlliams
The David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom sits over the northern edge of Peregrine Marsh at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center. Gehlar Hall, the original building at the Nature Center, and the Oak Overlook (top right) are visible atop the restored upland prairie of the Nature Center campus.
Nature Center Adds
Outdoor Classroom
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center opened the David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom at a ceremony on Saturday, March 16. Nearly 100 guests were in attendance, including officials from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and representatives from the offices of Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Andrea Salinas.
The new learning environment is named after David B. Marshall, a long-time champion of Oregon wildlife who played a principal role in the 1964 establishment of the Ankeny, Baskett Slough, and William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuges in the Willamette Valley. Marshall is known by many as the 'Dean of Oregon Birders' for his lifelong enjoyment of birding. His co-authorship of "Birds of Oregon, A General Reference" was the first complete reference work.
At about 1,000 square feet, the classroom structure is perched at Peregrine Marsh's edge and provides a teaching space for 35. The building's cantilevered porch, which extends over the marsh waters during the wet seasons, complements the classroom's easy access to the marsh for wetland study activities.
The facility significantly increases the Nature Center's capacity to support nature and wildlife education. When not used as a classroom, the building also serves as a wildlife viewing and photography blind open to the public from dawn to dusk.
With the new space, Marshall's conservation legacy will live on through classroom nature and environmental education for future generations.
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center complex is the education and interpretation part of the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge south of Salem. It is a place where people of all ages can better understand nature meaningfully. Its accessible and inclusive facilities give visitors multiple ways to discover and examine the natural environment.
Hugh Morrison, Regional Director of the US Fish & Wildlife Service -Region 1, shares the importance of partnerships and community during the dedication of the David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center. Among the honored guests were Eddy Pausch, Deputy Project Manager of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex (left foreground), and to Morrison’s right, Georgia Marshall, widow of David B. Marshall.
Georgia Marshall’s daughter, Marianne Slack, alerts her mother and Eddy Pausch of the US Fish & Wildlife Service to a Bald Eagle soaring over Peregrine Marsh near the new outdoor classroom.
Georgia Marshall, the widow of David B. Marshall, stands with her step-son John Marshall before the ceremony, opening the new outdoor classroom.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center Highlights
Something
For Everyone
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center has multiple ways to explore the wildlife and native habitats of the Willamette Valley. From hikes to hands-on discovery spaces, The Center is designed so visitors of any age, interest, or ability can find ways to interpret nature.
Building Inclusive Communities
As a public gathering space, The Center works to constantly build better connections with all groups and individuals throughout the region. We value your ideas so please let us know what you think and how to connect with you and your family.
Emphasis
On Education
The Center provides outstanding resources to teachers, group leaders, and learners of all ages. Our team of educators, resource kits, and naturalists are ready to help in our classrooms, at your school or home, or wherever learning happens.