ABOUT US
Our Mission Statement
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center
provides educational and interpretive
opportunities to connect people
with nature and to instill a sense of environmental stewardship.
The Ankeny Hill Nature Center is the product of an award-winning unique partnership among area non-profit organizations and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Fundraising by the Salem Audubon Society and the Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex complemented support from the federal government in designing, building, and operating The Nature Center.
The partnership received an award as a Public Lands Partner in 2025 from the Public Lands Alliance.
Read About The Award
Nature Center Partners
United States Fish & Wildlife Service
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Our Purpose and Vision: To protect the natural world so current and future generations can live with, live from, and find awe in lands, waters, and wildlife. We envision a future where people and nature thrive in an interconnected world where every community feels part of and committed to the natural world.
Salem Audubon Society
The Salem Audubon Society is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. Our mission is to connect people to nature through education about birds, other wildlife, and their habitats and through the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems.
To this end, we promote the enjoyment of wildlife and the stewardship of the environment with birding field trips, nature walks, monthly meetings, and various educational programs.
Friends of the Willamette Valley
National Wildlife Refuge Complex
The Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex has members who care about the Willamette Valley Refuges as natural resources and work to protect them. Our mission includes: Promoting the conservation of the natural resources of the refuge complex. Raising awareness and appreciation of the complex through educational and recreational opportunities. Participating in activities that help the complex achieve its goals.
Origin of The Center
An Idea and a Gift
An artist’s illustration of early concepts of the Nature Center.
Architectural topographic plat of the Ankeny Hill Nature Center grounds.
Creating the Ankeny Hill Nature Center came through a marriage of opportunity and a need for Salem Audubon and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2004, Mark Gehlar, co-founder of Oregon Fruit Products Co., made a $1.35 million bequest to the Salem Audubon Society to create a nature center. Gehlar understood the value of having a gathering place where children and adults could come to discover how important the environment is to our future.
The original idea was to put the Center at the Salem Audubon Nature Reserve in West Salem, land also donated by Gehlar. The problem was that the land was too small for the public access imagined. More than a dozen different places were considered, but finding the perfect location was difficult. The $1.35 million donation was significant, but it wasn’t enough to fund property acquisition, architectural planning, building, and long-term maintenance costs.
That was when the Salem group hit upon partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to build the Center on public land at Ankeny, where the National Wildlife Refuge has some of the best examples of native habitat in the Willamette Valley.
The Service was excited to help create a space dedicated to environmental education. It also fostered the creation of the public-private partnership that now includes the Service, the Salem Audubon Society, and the Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex organization.
Phase I of the Ankeny Hill Nature Center began in 2017 with the construction of Mark Gehlar Hall and related trails and outdoor exploration areas. Gehlar Hall includes an indoor classroom and a covered outdoor classroom with lab space, office, and storage. It is climate-controlled, with fresh water, restrooms, internet connectivity, and audio-video presentation equipment.
Phase II began in 2022 with planning for a stand-alone outdoor classroom structure dedicated to the service of biologist David B. Marshall, whose work was critical to establishing the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This complex includes the Ankeny NWR, where the Center is located. The Marshall Outdoor Classroom was built adjacent to Peregrine Marsh near Ankeny Hill Road and Buena Vista Road. It opened to public use in March 2024.
Support the Ankeny Hill Nature Center
Donate to Support
Learning
Your contributions make our education mission possible—each gift, whether large or small, is 100% tax deductible. Most donations are non-restrictive, allowing us to use the funds as needed. If you wish to make a more significant gift by creating a fund restricted to support a particular aspect of the Ankeny Hill Nature Center, we would be glad to discuss your ideas.
We also welcome donations of clean landscaping materials free of non-invasive seeds and expendable items such as school and art supplies
Volunteer to Share
Your Skills
Volunteers play vital roles in the operations and management of the Nature Center, from greeting visitors, producing educational materials, creating activities, and landscaping our 25-acre campus. Our active volunteer corps includes nearly 70 individuals of all ages and skills. We also encourage service organizations and retailers to offer their assistance.
You might also be asked to join our operations planning and train as a Guest Steward to aid staff at special events and school field trips.