HOWELL — The Howell Nature Center has a lot to offer residents of Livingston County and Michigan.
That’s the message going into 2025, after a difficult 2024 left the organization reeling and in need of additional funds.
The Howell Nature Center, 1005 Triangle Lake Road, is fresh off an outpouring of donations to save its Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. The center raised $100,000 in November, and that high will continue into the New Year.
“The way the community rallied around us in November was absolutely amazing,” Executive Director Tina Bruce told The Daily. “We definitely feel the love.”
In 2025, Bruce wants the community to know more about what the center has to offer. Next year, she’s focused on getting the word out. Bruce has lived in Livingston County for 19 years and said she “didn’t have a clue” what the center did until she joined the staff.
More: ‘Goosebumps’: Howell Nature Center raises $100K to reopen Rehab Clinic
The Howell Nature Center, 1005 Triangle Lake Road, treats more than 2,000 animals per year, totaling more than 100 different species.
“I’m imagining that resonates with a lot of people across Livingston County,” Bruce said. “We are a little gem here.”
In 2024, the center struggled with end-of-year funding for its Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, which treats more than 2,000 animals from 100 different species each year. The Wild Wonders Wildlife Park, a separate area, houses roughly 75 permanently injured “wildlife ambassadors,” who can’t be released into the wild but teach visitors the benefits of each species and how to co-exist in harmony.
Donations were down and prices were up in 2024. It didn’t help that, only months before, a 12-year-old boy died tragically after a falling tree struck him during a field trip to the center.
More: Boy, 12, killed by fallen tree at Howell Nature Center
But the community, Bruce said, has continued to support.
“We’re very thankful people appreciate the work we do and see the value of it,” she said.
The center hosts summer camps, and has seven buildings that can be rented for birthday parties and retreats. The organization has 18 full-time staffers and a handful of part-timers. Additional volunteers help prepare food, feed animals, clean the clinic and pick up produce.
The Howell Nature Center, 1005 Triangle Lake Road, treats more than 2,000 animals per year, totaling more than 100 different species.
“There are a lot of opportunities for volunteers,” Bruce said.
The center also hosts Michigan’s official groundhog: Woody the Woodchuck. On Sunday, Feb. 2, all eyes will be trained on her. (Yes, Woody is a girl.)
“We’re hoping for a good turnout,” Bruce said.
Bruce noted there’s “a huge misconception” that the center receives state and federal government funding — it does not. As a nonprofit, the center relies on donations for financial support.
In 2025, Howell Nature Center will work with Michigan State University on a marketing plan. In the meantime, locals can also help spread the word.
The Howell Nature Center, 1005 Triangle Lake Road, hosts a wildlife ambassador program to help teach visitors about animals and their habits.
“I’m thankful and amazed the community came together and realized all the hard work we’re doing,” Bruce said. “We couldn’t do what we do without the donations.”
Learn more at howellnaturecenter.org.
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at [email protected]. Follow him on X @SalsaEvan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Howell Nature Center seeks to get message out in 2025
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