LEINWC Director Renee Fultz stands amidst just a few of the taxidermy mounts at Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center that allow visitors to get an up-close look at animals. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PUT-IN-BAY – The late Stan Wulkowicz had a soul drawn to nature. He grew up on Put-in-Bay surrounded by the flora and fauna of lake life and then headed to Alaska as an adult, where he taught science classes by day and hunted by night. He became a self-taught taxidermist and preserved many examples of the creatures he lived amongst in the wilds of Alaska, including many species of birds.

He used the mounts as teaching tools in his classes, and when he retired from teaching, he returned to his island roots and built the Alaskan Birding Museum on Put-in-Bay. He filled it with his specimens and taught island children and visitors about the wonders of Alaska and the natural world. When he fully retired in 2008, he sold the land and donated the building and his taxidermy to what is now the Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center (LEINWC).

Today, LEINWC is continuing Wulkowicz’s legacy of nature education.

The outdoor pond behind LEINWC Director Renee Fultz attracts birds, deer and coyote. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“Our mission is to promote conservation and provide education about the Lake Erie islands,” said LEINWC Director Renee Fultz.

The center is packed with unique displays that give visitors of all ages a real-time view of the natural world. An active bee hive can be viewed through glass inside the center, and an indoor pond is home to rock bass, painted turtles, map turtles, and a grumpy, 40-year-old box turtle named for Oscar the Grouch.

“He has a great personality,” Fultz said.

While most people dread the arrival of mayflies, the nature center welcomes the insects and the opportunity to talk about the vital part they play in the food cycle.

“Turtles love mayflies, so we let kids pick them off the porch and throw them in the pond,” Fultz said. “That’s the purpose of mayflies. They’re a good food source for turtles, birds and fish. They play a really important role in the environment.”

This Eastern Fox snake found a cozy place to rest inside his cage at Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Visitors can see live snakes and can learn about the importance of pollinators like monarchs. A new live frog exhibit will likely be up and running by the time this story goes to print. Guests can watch birds from inside at the birdwatching window, or they can sit on the back porch for a closer look. Many species of birds flint from the many feeders to an outdoor pond that was installed in 2022.

“Since then, I’ve seen so many more nesting species, like Cedar Waxwings, Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers,” Fultz said. “They love bathing in the fresh water. It’s such a resource for the birds. Deer drink from it, and coyote drink from it.”

Coyote are a key topic of education at the center this year. They are an important element of natural balance on the island as they help control the rising deer population. Taxidermy specimens of deer and coyote can be seen at the center.

LEINWC Director Renee Fultz opens a door inside the center to reveal a working bee hive. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

This summer, an OSU Stone Laboratory intern is monitoring the deer population to ensure it doesn’t grow beyond the island’s ability to sustain it.

“We can support up to 60 deer with our resources,” Fultz said. “We know we have about 50 deer, and we estimate we have five coyotes. There are not enough coyote to control the deer population right now. If it gets overpopulated, we’ll see an increase in ticks, and there is the potential for chronic wasting disease.”

Although the island is, of course, surrounded by water, its deer and coyote populations are not limited by its seeming isolation.

“Coyote walk over from the mainland on the ice in the winter, and the deer sometimes swim over. People on the ferries sometimes report seeing deer swimming,” Fultz said.

Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center offers several free programs this summer. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

LEINWC offers a variety of programs, many of them free, throughout the summer.

Wild Tuesdays are free, hands-on, educational programs that focus on Ohio nature. They are held every Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. Upcoming topics include birds with Black Swamp Bird Observatory on July 8 and invasive plants with OSU Extension on July 15.

The Road Scholar program will promote bird education during the fall migration and includes a bird banding station. This year’s dates are Sept. 7-12 and Sept. 21-26.

LEINWC is open daily Memorial Day through Labor Day and weekends in September. For more information, including entry rates and a full schedule of programs, visit www.lakeerieislandswildlife.com. The center is at 255 Meechen Rd. on Put-in-Bay and can be reached at 419-285-3037.