Prototype Accessibility App

Items

• Animal Corner
  Animal Corner is home to many of ambassador animals, including a woodchuck, american kestrel, tarantula, frog and more!
• Woodchuck
  Woodchuck: Marmota monax True Hibernators? Unlike most native New England species. woodchucks are true hibernators. This means that woodchucks will sleep all winter long. During the fall season, woodchucks will eat continuously and nearly double their weight. When they enter hibernation, their core body temperatures lower to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and their heartbeat slows from to 4 beats per minute! How fit do you think they are? You might think that with their chunky bodies and short limbs woodchucks aren't very athletic. Surprisingly, they are actually very good climbers, runners, and diggers. They will often climb trees to eat leaves, stems. and berries. Woodchucks also dig large burrows up to 50 feet long that they will live in year round. We are Family Woodchucks are members of Sciuridae, the squirrel family. They are closely related to prairie dogs and marmots. Like all squirrels, woodchucks must wear down their continuously growing teeth. Unlike tree squirrels who wear down their teeth by prying open nuts and seeds, woodchucks gnaw on leaves and grasses instead.
• River Otter Pergola
• River Otters
  Sometimes our river otters stay in their tank and swim. Other times they come out to the open area to play or eat. Otter enrichment, training and feedings happen at this location. You can book a an Otter Encounter to get up close and feed them their favorite foods at https://ecotarium.org/exhibit/otter-encounter/
• Kiosk: What Happens when Pollution Runs into a Pond
• OSS Attributions
  A hidden item to host the OSS Attributions for the prototype app
• Mountain Lions
• Entrance Path
  The entrance path brings guests from the upper parking lot to the Sundial Plaza and the main entrance. Along the way their are two animal habitats, the Bald Eagles and the Great Horned Owls. As one heads from the parking lot up to the Sundial Plaza, the Bald Eagles are ony our left, and the Great Horned Owls are on your right.
• Bird Habitats
  This area includes several enclosures, currently housing our Corvids and Turkey Vultures. The corvid family is made up of over 120 species. Ravens are a member of the corvid family. Other common members of that family are crows, magpies, and jays. Corvids can be found all over the world except Antarctica.
• Bald Eagle
• Wild Cat Station
  This area, home to our Mountain Lions and Bird Habitats also offers benches and a nature viewing opportunity.
• Great Horned Owl
• Aviary
  Barred Owls use their calls to warn other owls away from their territory, to attract potential mates, or to communicate with their mate. They will make a variety of sounds: cackles, hoots, caws, gurgles, and beak clacks. Their most distinctive call however, is their loudest, it sounds like "who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?"
• Nature Explore Playground
  Entering Nature Explore, children and families will find the following play areas: Gathering Area: This flexible space with wooden benches offers a welcoming space for orientation, hands-on science programs, or even story time for our younger visitors. Sand Digging Area: Bring your young builders and diggers here to create while you enjoy the natural log seating, or help make sand masterpieces! Building Area: Using natural, child-sized building materials such as wooden blocks, mini-bricks, and tree blocks, children can build the house, castle, or city of their imagination. Nature Art Area: Set on a deck under trees, this area inspires close observation and creativity with natural art materials on specially-designed nature art tables. Make your own pieces of art, create a sculpture, paint, or build a fairy house! Messy Materials Area: In this large space, children can use a wide variety of natural materials (logs, twigs, tree cookies, and fabric) to build over-sized collaborative projects such as forts or shelters. Dirt Digging Area: This area encourages children to use tools as well as their imagination. From a mud kitchen to engineering projects, the sky’s the limit. Climbing and Crawling Area: Anchored by existing play structures from our Freedman Playground, this area is all about physical motor play. Visit old favorites such as the climbing net and climbing structures, or try the new crooked natural log balance beam. Fox Den Area: In a simple den, children can pretend to be a fox, a fairy, or an explorer camping in the wilderness. Eagle Nest Area: We’ve kept this favorite play structure for kids to role-play while sitting on one of the big eagle eggs. Music and Movement Area: In this area, a stage has been constructed to host guest performers and a wide range of programs by EcoTarium staff. We also welcome impromptu performances by our visitors! Open Area: This is the space for large-motor activities such as running, jumping, dancing, or playing active games. In winter, it becomes the perfect spot for building snow people or snow forts. Water Play Area: Children are invited to experiment, investigate, and observe the properties of water in a safe, open-ended environment. Hone math and science skills when measuring with watering cans or studying cause and effect scenarios when using the hand pump (seasonal). Or, just splash! Nature Explore is a collaborative program of Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. The Nature Explore Outdoor Exhibit has been made possible by many generous donors in our community including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and UniBank.
• Main Entrance Crossing
• Pond Meadow Path
  A tenth of a mile long level path that brings you from the lower lot towards the River Otter Habitat. Along the way there are several interactive kiosk exhibits.
• Pedestrian Train Crossing
• Explorer Express Train Station
• Kiosk: Living Exhibits
  A kiosk providing information about the Pond and Meadow path and exhibit area.
• Vegetable Garden
• Kiosk: How Can a Meadow Protect a Pond
  Kiosk tilts up and down. Inside are several marbles of various colors representing different forms of pollution. When you tilt the panel up, the exhibit resets. When you let it down, the marbles will drop down. On the left side is shown a parking lot. On the right side is shown a meadow. The exhibit compares how the flat smooth surface of the parking lot allows pollution to run into the pond, while the meadow acts to filter out the pollutants.
• Eating Area
• Outside Bathrooms
• Upper Pond
• Outdoor Food Pavilion (Currently Closed)