Nature House

The Scout Island Nature House is open by appointment year round for school and community programs. It is open to the public every day from May through August and on the weekends until October. The Nature House is alive with people and other animals and plants. The staff will help you get up close to aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, snakes, salamanders; or you can watch a bird in the marsh through the scope. At the right time of year, you can see swallows feeding their young on the web cam or watch the hummingbirds up close at the feeders. Staff will be pleased to answer questions and suggest which trails to walk. We have natural history books specific to this region for sale. Come for a long visit!

Displays

You can trace the route of salmon returning from the ocean (represented by a tank holding live intertidal creatures) to their native lake and marsh environments (live fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates). The bat cave and marsh, forest, and grassland displays feature once-alive animals and plants that inhabit those distinct ecosystems.

Library

The Nature House has an extensive Natural History library, open to the public for reference purposes and for Williams Lake Field Naturalists to borrow from. We carry many popular natural history magazines, including special ones for children. There is also a large file of program materials, craft activities, ideas for exploring nature that teachers and others are welcome to search and copy.

Ask a Naturalist

Staff and volunteers at the Nature Centre have a broad base of knowledge. If you have a natural history question, you can find us on Facebook, phone the Nature House or come and visit. We will try to answer it or guide you to someone who can.