WEEKS BAY, Ala. — A sizable donation by a family who wishes to remain anonymous has enabled the Coastal Wonders Environmental Education Program at the Beckwith Camp and Conference Center on Weeks Bay to establish the Coastal Wonders Scholarship Endowment Fund. The seed money will help the nonprofit organization provide assistance to students and schools that are unable to afford the cost of taking part in the program.

The money was given in honor of a member of that family who loved both children and the environment. The funds are being invested and the returns will help Coastal Wonders serve a greater number of students in need. Additional donations to the scholarship fund are welcome.

Jennifer Dixon, Coastal Wonders program director, said, “Coastal Wonders is a hands-on environmental learning experience where school groups can come to us for one- to five-day trips to learn about the dynamic Gulf Coast ecosystem.”

She said the program has three missions: academic learning, character education and promotion of good earth stewardship — all intended to instill in children a lifelong love of learning.

“We’re learning how to better serve the schools with each passing season,” Dixon said. We’ve been successful with the groups we’ve served here. The feedback has been positive.”

More than 2,000 students from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida have taken part in Coastal Wonders so far, with most participating in the three-day program. Among the comments received was one from an Elsanor School student, who wrote, “One new thing I learned at Coastal Wonders was to never give up and go one step farther than your goal.”

That kind of enthusiasm is not uncommon among those who walk around the program’s 64-acre home,” Dixon said. It’s also evident in the program’s two full-time and seven part-time employees.

Some, including Assistant Program Director Audrey Preston, live on the grounds, while others reside in other areas of Baldwin County.

“I’m really happy they’ve embraced this program,” Dixon said. “They’re getting to see and touch and experience the ecosystem that they’re studying. While they learn a lot when they’re here, they become more effective learners in the classroom because they can use this as a frame of reference.”

Coastal Wonders now has a comprehensive herpetology lab, she said, and it will become an exhibit at a new facility recently completed along the shore of Weeks Bay. Because of the extra square footage, the program will be able to grow.

“We do have a small touch tank for estuary animals, and we’re looking to expand those offerings,” Dixon said

Referring to the creatures in the program’s collection, she said, “They are all non-releasable. They were given to us from a variety of sources. We wouldn’t take animals from the wild.” Some of the animals were found injured and taken to nearby rehabilitation centers for treatment, but couldn’t be released, she added.

Even though the new education building, designed by architect Mac Walcott of Walcott Adams Verneuille, is certainly a comfortable place to be, students won’t be stuck inside.

“Ninety percent of the time, you’re outside by the bay, in the marsh or in our coastal forest,” Dixon said. “I want them to experience the ecosystem for themselves.”

She added, “While we’re not open to the general public for walkthroughs, we are open for groups.”

If you’d like to help area students by donating to the scholarship fund, send a check to Coastal Wonders, c/o Beckwith, 10400 Beckwith Lane, Fairhope, AL 36532. Coastal Wonders is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, call (251) 928-2248, e-mail coastalwonders@bellsouth.net, or visit www.coastalwonders.org.