Wildlife – Our Living Collections

The Museum manages several living collections in addition to its indoor galleries and research collections.

Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden
Smith Environmental Courtyard
Natural Areas Program and Preserves

On the Museum's grounds are the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden and the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard. Both feature native Ohio plants and animals. We have come to think of these areas as the Museum's backyard, the portion of wild Ohio that's just outside our door.

The Natural Areas Program maintains a series of preserves throughout Northern Ohio that contain rare habitats. Museum curators and other scientists use these preserves for their research.

You can view a short video on The Perkins Wildlife Center, featuring Harvey Webster and friends. This streaming video segment was shot by Lonnie Timmons III, and is posted by The Plain Dealer on www.cleveland.com.