Ron Chevront, East Liverpool, a first-time visitor to the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center, speaks to volunteers Drew Daniels and Mitch Cattrell in the North American Room. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt) 

EAST LIVERPOOL — Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center (BCWEC) held its annual Wine and Wildlife fundraiser at the education center located at Beaver Creek State Park, 12884 Echo Dell Road on April 28.

The education center — opened around 2005-2006 — formerly the park ranger’s house, started with the donation of a few animals and now has a collection of over 300.

The volunteers at the center do a variety of programs for school and community groups including weekends programs at the center and out in the community such as libraries, Rotaries, nursing homes, schools and more, according to Nancy Henry, volunteer and fundraising organizer.

The center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on the weekends from the first weekend in May to the first weekend in October. It is free and open to the public.

“It’s all done by volunteers, all the designs and displays are all built by volunteers,” Henry said. “It’s so underutilized, it’s the area, a rural area. That’s our mission for this event, it’s to introduce people to the center. We have a lot of them been coming for years.”

Longtime East Liverpool resident Ron Chevront said the fundraising event was his first time visiting the center and he didn’t even know it was there. He noted that he has traveled to places such as Alaska where he has visited nature centers.

“I’m impressed. Every room I go in it opens up your mind,” Chevront said. “Every room is full of history and things that are around us. It’s amazing. It’s just an outstanding place.”

When asked if he had plans to return, Chevront said he has family living in Las Vegas coming to visit in the summer, and he plans to bring them there.

Henry said she would not only like to see more local people come in to check out the center but would also like to bring in visitors from the Boardman, Youngstown, Warren and Pittsburgh areas.

“I think it’s great, it’s a really impressive facility,” Robert Corrigan of Akron said. His wife Jess — whose mother Eileen Barton volunteers at the center — said the new bird viewing area is great.

The center is funded solely by donations. It has received several estate donations which have helped them. This is an occasional grant for projects, Henry said.

The Wine and Wildlife Wine and Cheese Tasting event is the center’s biggest fundraiser of the year. With having wine at the event, they are not able to charge admission, so the event is by invite and donation.

There was no total amount available yet for the event, but according to Henry it typically brings in $3,000 to $4,000. The event includes food, wine cheese, the chance to explore and learn about the center, a raffle and 50/50 drawing.

During the event, the center dedicated its new bird and wildlife viewing room which includes an electronic display showing the migration paths of birds and an interactive game showing the hazards birds can face.

BCWEC President Dennis Imhoff spoke about the projects the center is working on including the 12 Chimney Swift towers recently built around the county before speaking about the new viewing room.

He noted it was a busy winter for the volunteers who worked on several new additions around the center including the water feature outside.

Local artist and founder of Angels for Animals, Diane Less, who painted the murals in the Ohio Room and the North American rooms at the center, will be painting a mural in the bird viewing area.

Less will be painting a mural of the late Carol Bretz, former director of the Columbiana County Community Action Agency, in the bird viewing room. Less said Brett was an avid bird lover. Less said Bretz left 10% of her estate to the center when she passed and that donation funded the bird viewing room.

“This organization is such a jewel,” Less said. “People come down here and they can’t believe that this is here in Columbiana County and it’s such a jewel. I think Carol (Bretz) would be very very pleased with the stuff put in here to teach people about birds and migration.”

“It’s not just the donations, it’s the volunteers,” Heidi Allison said. “They are not stingy with their time here; they are wonderful people.

Allison is a supporter of the center who comes to the event almost every year because of her love of nature, wildlife and what the center does.

“I’m so grateful for all these volunteers,” Allison said. “I come to support the organization because I think it’s terrific what they do.”

Allison also noted that she does not believe the center would be functioning if it were not for the volunteers.

It is estimated that the center has approximately 75 volunteers with a core group of 25 volunteers. They are looking for more. They need a minimum of six volunteers when they are open on Saturdays and Sundays.

Volunteers need to be 16 years of age or older and can be students needing volunteer hours.

Those who are interested in helping the center, but not volunteering, can sign up as a supporting member by paying annual dues ranging from $10 for an individual, $20 for a family and $50 for a business.

Anyone interested in being a volunteer or a supporting member can pick up a registration form at the center.

Donations can also be made at the center or mailed to BCWECVA, P.O. Box 2212, East Liverpool, OH 43920.

Henry said it’s the volunteers that make the place and it’s taken such dedication. Many of the volunteers have topics they specialize in.

For additional information on the Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center contact Imhoff at 330-402-7846 for general information, Henry at 330-457-2918 for schools or email beavercreekw@aol.com.