Vision

AWARE is the vision of Michael Ellis, a long-time Atlanta resident. After a 10-year effort to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife and educate the public about the importance of wildlife and habitat in the Northwestern U.S., he returned to Atlanta in 1999.

Upon his return, he was disappointed to find that his home, Atlanta, which is situated in the second most densely forested area in the country, had no large center to provide care to all species of native wildlife and to educate the public on methods of habitat preservation to accommodate our wild partners.

Michael knew from experience that any effort to effect a change would have to be two-fold: education and wildlife rehabilitation. Thus AWARE was born.

Mission

AWARE is committed to the preservation and restoration of wildlife and its habitat through education and wildlife rehabilitation.

Education

• Through its education programs, AWARE teaches children and adults that the peaceful coexistence of humans and wildlife is essential for our mutual survival.

Children are by nature inquisitive about nature. Their insatiable appetite for knowledge holds the power to heal the wounds inflicted on the planet by their predecessors.

We need only to task ourselves to teach the truth and the children will see it and act on it without political, economic, or personal agendas. The honest vision of the innocent child can only see the truth.

This is why education is the primary method for the pursuit of AWARE’s mission.

AWARE provides wildlife programs to schools, parks, camps, civic groups, government agencies, corporate sector, hospitals, and underserved communities.

Wildlife Rehabilitation

• Through wildlife rehabilitation, AWARE lessens the impact that humans have on native wildlife and the environment.

After a 5 ½ year search for the ideal location, AWARE began building its wildlife rehabilitation center at Arabia Mountain Park in DeKalb County, Georgia in 2005.

Since building started, Arabia Mountain and the surrounding area has become DeKalb County’s signature park and a National Heritage Area with miles of hiking paths and natural wonders.

Along with AWARE, this wondrous natural area will be home to the first environmental magnet school in the metro Atlanta area.

AWARE helps thousands of wild animals every year and the number of animals in need will only increase with each tree that is removed and scar that man inflicts on the earth.

Goals

AWARE seeks to achieve its mission through four goals:  

1. Outreach

Reach every single child K-1 through K-12 in the entire metro Atlanta area with one wildlife program each year. These programs will provide our future generations with the spark to stimulate their natural curiosity about nature. They will leave each program as ambassadors for peaceful coexistence and teach preservation and restoration of wildlife and habitat to all they meet. Within each young person there is a teacher and the message they will carry from our programs can have a significant effect on the future of wildlife and habitat for generations to come.

2. Exhibits

Complete our on-site exhibits offering the public close encounter experiences with a variety of native wildlife. These exhibits will educate the public about the animals they never realized are crawling, running, and flying through their back yard every day and night. It will open their eyes to the need for peaceful coexistence with wildlife including the preservation and restoration of habitat.

3. Peaceful Coexistence Efforts

Enlighten municipal and state government agencies and the public on the futility of the practice of trapping and killing wildlife as a method for management of urban human/animal conflict. Provide them with scientific studies showing how counterproductive this practice is. Give them a public education guide that will provide long term solutions leading to peaceful coexistence.

4. Additional Classroom/Museum Facility

Currently our existing amphitheatre provides a natural setting as an outdoor classroom. Our long term goal is to also have an indoor classroom and museum to enable us to give children a complete experience including an audio/visual component and hands-on animal related artifacts. The building that would house this component is already available to us without charge if only we can finish the interior.