Appalachian Station

Appalachian Station houses red wolves and cougars in spacious wooded habitats that replicate the mountain forests of the Southern Appalachians. Red wolves are the most endangered canid in the world, and the Nature Center's participation in the Species Survival Plan helps maintain this critically imperiled species.

Red wolves once ranged across the entire southeastern United States but were driven to the brink of extinction by habitat loss, hunting, and hybridization with coyotes. Fewer than 20 remain in the wild in a small reintroduction area in eastern North Carolina. The captive population of approximately 250 animals maintained by facilities like this nature center is essential for the species' survival.