Palm Beach County’s Daggerwing Nature Center, located in South County Regional Park west of Boca Raton, will open its doors to a new 5,000-square-foot expansion on Saturday, April 26, at 9:00 am. The newly designed facility includes a new lobby, a large exhibit hall, a laboratory, classroom, and new administrative offices.

Guests will enjoy free admission year-round to the new nature center exhibit, as well as to the special Earth Day event planned to coincide with the grand opening celebration that will conclude at 3:00 pm.

Commissioner Burt Aaronson will be on hand to host the event and welcome the community to the newly expanded facility, after which a rehabilitated wild animal will be released back into nature by a representative of Folke Peterson Wildlife Center. The doors will then open to an amazing new display designed to mimic the swamp environment that surrounds Daggerwing Nature Center “like a large pop-up book,” describes Roger Barganier, President of Creative Arts Unlimited Inc., the firm that designed the new exhibit. There’s something that will appeal to all ages.

Visitors will begin by experiencing life under the ground, learning how millipedes and grubs help to recycle important nutrients under the earth. Continuing on, a close-up view of live fish and turtles will appear underneath the water of the swamp, along with life-like reptiles. As the exhibit continues to rise above the waterline, colorful vegetation and a larger-than-life dragonfly, praying mantis, and butterfly appear. Children can experience the world from a new perspective by climbing inside a bee and “seeing through its eyes.” With all the sights and sounds of a living swamp, interactive opportunities abound with the push of buttons, the spin of wheels, and the feel of nature at your fingertips in this child- and adult-friendly exhibit.

Visitors will eventually rise to the top of the tree canopy where a live screech owl makes its home. And as guests make their way through this environmental fun house, they’ll learn even more ways we can all help to preserve this unique swamp habitat and the plants and animals that live there.

A new lobby in Daggerwing Nature Center includes a Book Nook with a large collection of children’s books and adult environmental reference books—a special opportunity for parents to spend time with their children learning more about the outdoor world. Animal puppets are also “on hand” to add to the learning experience.

Palm Beach County is also honored to open a new exhibit area featuring the work of the late well-known local nature photographer George Forrest.

The Earth Day celebration will continue with craft activities in the new laboratory classroom, a variety of special live animal outdoor presentations described on the attached schedule, and tours of the 2/3-mile boardwalk. Recent sightings include River Otter, Wood Storks, Osprey, American Alligators, and Black-necked Stilts.

The Daggerwing Nature Center Expansion will continue with the opening of a new observatory adjacent to the nature center which is currently under design.

Daggerwing is the second amenity to open as part of the major expansion that’s in progress at South County Regional Park. Sunset Cove Amphitheater opened to the public on March 29, and in three-to-six months, South County residents living in the western communities will enjoy Canine Cove—a new dog park—and a large, fully-accessible playground, a restroom building, and additional parking. A new boat ramp will enhance boating and fishing access to the park’s new lakes.

Daggerwing Nature Center is located at 11200 Park Access Road west of Boca Raton. For more information, please call Daggerwing Nature Center at (561) 629-8760 or visit www.pbcparks.com.

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