Conservation
Conservation
Our Mission: The Greensboro Science Center’s conservation mission is to preserve species and habitats through on-site programs, community awareness, field studies and fundraising for local and global conservation efforts.
Our Vision: Conservation and preservation of animals and habitats can only be realized by altering individual habits and behaviors, and by working collaboratively with organizations, academics and governing bodies to better our environment.
Conservation Events
The GSC hosts events throughout the year for the Conservation Fund, which is used to support internal and field conservation efforts.
Coins for Conservation
Your small change is making a big difference! Every time you visit the GSC, you are supporting wildlife conservation. Twenty-five cents of each admission ticket is allocated to conservation efforts. Upon entry, you will receive a token that allows you to cast a vote for 1 of 3 conservation projects. See below for current projects.
With a focus on species occurring in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, SAFE Coral inspires and mobilizes AZA members, partners, and communities to save coral reefs from extinction.
Through public education and engagement, SAFE North American Monarch works to promote conservation action and reduce threats to monarch butterflies.
Utilizing research, effective education campaigns, and fieldwork efforts, SAFE Red Panda is increasing awareness of and involvement in red panda conservation.
Conservation in Action
The GSC protects native wildlife by providing habitats for species in need. All activity from these projects is documented and shared with global conservation organizations to better preserve our backyard wildlife.
Whether we are installing a garden or reinventing a nature trail, we couldn’t do our work without the use of our truck. But before the flowers bloom, we have to dig up the land and get a little dirty. Understanding that we are responsible for restoring the land we disturb is something the GSC and Extreme Terrain Clean Trail Project don’t take for granted. We are proud to be recipients of the Extreme Terrain Clean Trail Project.
The GSC houses a lab dedicated to the propagation and conservation of NC’s freshwater mussels. Host fish and young mussels are raised in the lab for propagation. With support from NCWRC mussels will be returned to NC streams as part of the state’s conservation action plan.
From late May through early September, the GSC houses a native species butterfly exhibit. Monarch butterflies are raised in the exhibit and the last generation are tagged and released for their migration to Mexico.
Throughout the zoo and in our neighboring Country Park are pollinator pockets, or small gardens designed to support the various life stages on our native butterfly species.
The GSC, alongside the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and UNC, are studying many species at a site in Guilford County that is slated for mitigation in the coming years. The team is researching animal presence and, to a lesser extent, behavior before, during, and after mitigation to understand how different taxa are impacted by water and land changes.
The GSC supports Island Conservation in studying and working to conserve the endangered Mona Iguana on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. From trail cameras to track predators, removal of invasive vegetation, to individual species surveys, the GSC works on the island with IC to conserve the native and endemic species of Mona Island.
The GSC is a member of the VI Boa conservation team, that is working to track, breed, and preserve the VI Boa. The GSC with IC is working to eradicate islands in the Virgin Island archipelago from rats to support populations of VI boas.
We use bioacoustics to study the presence and behaviors of species that produce ultrasonic vocalizations. We study bats, rodents, and mouse lemurs using bioacoustics. This tool helps us to understand these animals noninvasively so we can support their conservation in the wild.
The GSC is involved in EcoExplore, The Box Turtle Connection, NestWatch, MonarchWatch, and NABat.
Conservation & Research Partners
Piedmont Land Conservancy
The GSC supports the Piedmont Land Conservancy. Property throughout the Piedmont is protected and preserved in its natural state because of the work of the Conservancy. To learn more about Piedmont Land Conservancy and how to get involved, visit their website here.
REEF
The GSC supports REEF by contributing to their Volunteer Fish Survey Project. GSC divers collect and report information on marine fish and invertebrate populations. This data is then used by a variety of resource agencies, researchers, and international policy makers.
Island Conservation
Invasive species are problematic around the world, but their effects are magnified on islands. Nearly half of our world’s threatened vertebrates live on islands and are endangered by invasive species. The GSC works with IC to restore islands and allow native and often endemic species to thrive.
DUCK Lab Research
The GSC hosts and collaborates with the Development and Understanding of Children’s Knowledge lab from UNCG to research how children learn, interpret, retain and understand science based on the different educational mediums we use to share information.
SAFE
Invasive species are problematic around the world, but their effects are magnified on islands. Nearly half of our world’s threatened vertebrates live on islands and are endangered by invasive species. The GSC works with IC to restore islands and allow native and often endemic species to thrive.
Seafood Watch® Program – A GSC Conservation Partner
The Greensboro Science Center is a proud partner of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® program to help consumers and businesses make ocean-friendly seafood choices.
Humans have depended on food from the oceans for thousands of years. But in recent decades, the health of the ocean has changed and the availability of healthy, sustainable fish is declining. Pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing are placing our oceans’ fishes in trouble. But we can fix this and you can help.
What is Seafood Watch?
The vision of Seafood Watch is to help sustain wild, diverse and healthy ocean ecosystems that will exist long into the future. They encourage consumers and businesses to purchase seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that are sustainable. Seafood Watch uses science-based, peer reviewed methods to assess how fisheries and farmed seafood impact the environment and they provide recommendations indicating which items are ‘Best Choices,’ ‘Good Alternatives,’ and which ones to ‘Avoid.’
What You Can Do
You can help keep the ocean healthy by picking up a Seafood Watch guide at the GSC and by following Seafood Watch on Facebook and Twitter. You can also visit the Seafood Watch website for up-to-date recommendations on where to find ocean-friendly seafood.