About Us
We are committed to a future where people and the natural world thrive together. We invite you to discover the story of the Adirondacks, and to explore new ways that people and nature can thrive in the same place.
How to Attract the Next Generation of Adirondack Visitors
How to Attract the Next Generation of Visitors
Findings of 2015 research on travel preferences and perceptions of the Adirondacks among the Millennial Generation, by Schireson Associates with funding provided in part to The Wild Center by Empire State Development’s Market New York program. This PDF presentation may take a minute or more to download.
The Adirondacks & The Next Generation: A Guidebook for Marketing the Adirondacks to Millennials
A digital toolkit produced by The Wild Center and Trampoline Design with practical information on how to implement the finding of the 2015 research on travel preferences and perceptions of the Adirondacks among the Millennial Generation, by Schireson Associates commissioned by The Wild Center.
Our Mission
Ignite an enduring passion for the Adirondacks
where people and nature can thrive together
and set an example for the world.
Ross Whaley on Why The Wild Center
The former president of SUNY ESF speaks about a role for The Wild Center in a more crowded planet.
"It depends on having a knowledge of this interrelationship of people and the carrying capacity of the globe."
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Supporting a Vibrant Economy
The Wild Center contracted PlaceMaking, a Plattsburgh-based consulting firm, to conduct a socioeconomic study of the Center’s regional impact and reach. This study was conducted to measure the impacts of The Wild Center across New York State’s seven-county North Country region.
The Wild Center is a major catalyst and economic engine for the North Country. Visitors to The Wild Center and Center operations generated more than $14 million in total regional revenue and led to the creation of 277 jobs in a single year.
Salaries earned by TWC employees had a $2.4 million impact in the North Country, meaning that money stayed local and was spent on groceries, clothing, mortgages, taxes, rent, and fuel among other things. In addition to the 38 full time jobs at The Wild Center, 19 new jobs were supported through these expenditures.
6 out of 7 visitors made Tupper Lake their destination of choice because of The Wild Center. On average, they stayed in the region for more than four days and spent $893.
Visitors to The Wild Center come from 4,612 different Zip Codes, traveling from all over the United States and from more than 30 countries, and bringing new dollars into the region.
The Wild Center in Brief
The Wild Center is a not-for-profit organization overseen by a Board of Trustees with the assistance of its Advisory Board. The Center is based out of an 81-acre site in Tupper Lake, NY near the geographic center of the Adirondacks.
The region is unique in the world. Surrounded by people, the Adirondacks house great expanses of nature interspersed with small towns and communities. They can be an example for a future where man and the rest of the natural world thrive together.
The Center, dedicated to understanding this rare place, is committed to helping people explore not a small collection, but one that lives and breathes across the entire expanse of the Adirondacks.
The Wild Center is science-based, and its experiences, exhibits and programs are designed to open new ways to look into our relationship with nature.
There may be no more important issue facing humankind than discovering better ways to thrive with the rest of the natural world, and there may be no better place to understand that effort than in the Adirondacks. The Center is a great place to be part of that vital experiment.
Read The Wild Center's OTTER News
Members receive it by mail each Spring and Fall.
What the Press Says
"The wonderful Wild Center..."
"linger in this glorious place..."
"..paradis pour les environmentalistes.."
"stunning..."
"...the place to go.."
"a very interactive place.."
"Stunning state-of the-art museum..."
"Don't miss The Wild Center.."
"Family Fun Editor's Pick"
"...highlight of your visit.."
"In the heart of the Adirondacks, The Wild Center has created a popular destination that tells the story of the region’s unique natural environment. Their success has significantly enhanced the economic vitality of the entire region."
-U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
The History of The Wild Centerk
The idea for The Wild Center was first discussed in August 1998, when a group of friends sat around Betsy Lowe’s cabin on the shores of Long Lake, New York, in the heart of the Adirondack Park. The surrounding forest was scarred by the latest big natural event - an ice storm that had coated the Adirondacks and Quebec. The single, seemingly destructive force created a scene of shining beauty.
k Learning by Doingk
Boundless opportunities await enthusiastic individuals breaking into the field of interpretation, natural history, guiding, animal care and more. Find out more about interns at The Wild Center.