Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Fall fun and entertainment (and tips for snake season!) with the GSU Center for Wildlife Education

The Georgia Southern Center for Wildlife Education and The Lamar Q. Ball, Jr. Raptor Center is an educational resource available to the public for the continued learning of our native Georgia fauna species.
wildlifecenter3
Visit the Georgia Southern Wildlife Center on campus for fun fall programs and to enjoy the beautiful nature preserves. Credit: Wildlife Center

The Georgia Southern Center for Wildlife Education and The Lamar Q. Ball, Jr. Raptor Center is an educational resource available to the public for the continued learning of our native Georgia fauna species. This fall season, the center is revving up for its myriad of fun fall happenings. Plan to attend and bring some exciting critter-magic to your day!

This Center expects its normal rotation of local school class field trips and STEM science nights to be included at the core of its monthly scheduled happenings. But one of the most intriguing things that the center has going on this fall is its DAILY 3:30pm 30-minute wildlife program.

The wildlife program hosts a different program theme each day, and each program theme focuses on a topic that includes common wildlife knowledge to help you move more comfortably through your daily life interacting with (or NOT interacting with) certain local species of animals.

Learn about native species in the indoor part of the Wildlife Center (Photo Courtesy GSU)

The full program listing can be seen on the center’s website. Currently, some of the program topics range from “Monday: Pets vs. Wild Animals,” to “Wednesday: Birds of Prey,” to “Friday: Chain of Command.”

And for just a small fee (single or annual, per the current website’s rates), you can give yourself and your family access to education on the many creatures that we all stumble upon and interact with in our daily lives.

Snake season in the south

Speaking of those creatures that we stumble upon and interact with in our daily lives: Snakes, Snakes, and SNAKES—yeah? Those slithering, sometimes slimy creatures elicit many fears in the hearts and minds of humans near and far. But we caught up with GSU Wildlife Center Curator, Scott Courdin, to get the scoop on how we should go about identifying and handling (or NOT handling) these various species of snakes.

A fan favorite resident of the Wildlife Center (Photo Courtesy GSU)


One startling fact that Scott shared is this: “Most snakes in Georgia are illegal to kill. You could be breaking a law and not even know it."

"Most people get bit on the hand because they were trying to mess with it," he continued. "The best advice is to leave all snakes alone. It’s very easily avoidable. Just step away from the snake and let it be.”

This reflex may be counterintuitive if you have a snake staring you in the face, by nestling in your garage or backyard. But snakes, like it or not, are needed to control the rodent population (which often spreads various diseases to humans). And furthermore, snakes have many general benefits to the overall balance of the ecology system.

So, the best thing to do when you see a snake in your vicinity (or place of residence) is to call animal control to get immediate help and support for how you can have it safely removed.

Learn more about the snakes of Georgia here, provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Check out the guide to venomous and non-venomous snakes below.

The more you know

Scott has worked with the GSU Wildlife Center since its opening in 1997 and expresses that working with the Wildlife Center continues to be a highlight in his Wildlife Management career.

On behalf of the Wildlife Center, Scott says, “I’d like to thank Georgia Southern for being extremely supportive of what we do and in helping us accomplish what we want to accomplish in terms of spreading wildlife awareness, entertainment, and education.”

Scott also says that the more you know about wildlife, the more you can enjoy it, so the GSU Center for Wildlife Education plays an ongoing, integral role in our community for being an easily accessible resource that makes wildlife education and awareness possible.

For more information on the Center for Wildlife Education’s upcoming events and educational opportunities, please visit the center's website, or call the Wildlife Center directly at 912-478-0831.

Georgia Southern Center for Wildlife Education

Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Directions

Single General Admission Rates:
Adults: $4.00
Children (3-11 years of age): $2.00
Military (with ID): $2.00
Senior Citizens: $2.00
Children under 3 years of age: Free
Georgia Southern Faculty, Staff and Students (with ID): Free

Annual Admission Rates (unlimited visits):
Adults: $20.00
Children (3-11 years of age): $15.00
Military (with ID): $15.00
Senior Citizens: $15.00