We are the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, a 501(c)(3) organization registered as Nokuse Education, Inc., transitioning from a private foundation to a public foundation – which means, every donation is truly appreciated and needed to fund our operations. The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center is an environmental education facility serving students, teachers and professional audiences. The Center is nestled in the Longleaf Pine ecosystem, which is considered the 6th most biodiverse area in the continental U.S. and less than 2% of it remains intact today. As such, it is the perfect place to educate students on the importance of biodiversity and to encourage conservation, preservation and restoration. This ecological “hot-spot” is available as a gathering place where local and regional scientists can conduct ecological research and participate in symposia that disseminates this research to the public.

 

Walton County conservationist and resident, M.C. Davis, on his 50,000-acre conservation land named Nokuse Plantation, developed the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in 2009. The Center is named after and dedicated to world renowned scientist Dr. Edward O. Wilson, who has made it his life-long mission to educate the public about the importance of conserving the world’s biodiversity. This two-time Pulitzer Prize winner spent his formative years and performed his earliest scientific investigations in NW Florida and SW Alabama, and developed the term “biophilia” – the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.

Students in fourth and seventh grades who visit the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center learn about the natural environment through interpretive exhibits as well as an extensive trail system through natural areas undergoing ecological restoration on the nature preserve. By offering four days of curriculum that coincides with the Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and the National Common Core Standards, our young citizens have a better understanding and knowledge for science portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). While promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) subjects, students are provided opportunities for inquiry, investigation and innovation.

 

The Walton County School District considers our facility to be an extension of their classroom as we ARE their science education project-based learning facility, the place where schooling becomes applicable. Each year, The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center educates 6,500 students in a 6 county area and averages more than 140 students every school day. In addition, we are open to the general public on select days, providing a variety of environmental presentations.

 

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