Mike Whitmire of Whitmire Outdoor Living in Starbrick, Pa., is pictured looking out of the cab of his truck at the Audubon Community Nature Center. Whitmire was delivering a giant concrete turtle that he designed, built and donated to Audubon's Nature Play Area. Submitted Photo

Mike Whitmire has made a donation that will give children something else to do when visiting the Audubon Community Nature Center’s Nature Play Area.

Sarah Hatfield, Audubon education coordinator, approached Whitmire, the owner of Whitmire Outdoor Living in Starbrick, Pa., about possibly making a climbable concrete turtle for Audubon’s outdoor Nature Play Area. It was a couple weeks before she heard back from him, and the answer was not what she expected.

“Mike told me that he had finished designing and constructing the turtle and would donate it to Audubon,” Hatfield said. “I knew that in addition to the concrete products he makes his customers, he likes to construct custom pieces that let him be creative and test new ideas. But I was blown away when I saw what he’d done!”

What Whitmire had done was create a 12-foot long turtle weighing about 1,500 pounds. He spent eight days building the frame and hand-sculpting the details.

“You really have to see this to believe it,” Hatfield explained. “Everyone at Audubon is so grateful to Mike for this wonderful addition to Audubon’s Nature Play Area. Children and their grown-ups are welcome to visit any time.”

The third Saturday morning of every month is Audubon Nature Play Day when, accompanied by their favorite adults, children ages two to eight can have fun in the Nature Play Area. Extra materials that change with the weather and season are placed in the play area, and a naturalist is present to answer questions and provide information. Children can explore unstructured outdoor play in a safe environment while their grownups learn how to continue the nature play experience at home.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. The three-story Nature Center contains interactive displays, a collection of live animals, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Building hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. The 600-acre wetland preserve with more than five miles of trails for hiking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, and Liberty, the non-releasable Bald Eagle, can be visited from dawn until dusk daily.

For more information, call 569-2345 or visit auduboncnc.org.

turtle – Nature Play Area