Grange Insurance Audubon Center (GIAC)
Who We Are: The Grange Insurance Audubon Center (GIAC) is the result of strong alliances made between the National Audubon Society, the city of Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks to reclaim urban land in a migratory bird flyway. GIAC is located just south of scenic downtown within the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, on what was originally an industrial brownfield now transformed into a beautiful urban nature center providing vital educational services to central Ohio. Focusing on the city of Columbus and its public schools, the center strives to increase environmental awareness and stewardship through visitor experience and engagement.
What We Do: Our mission emphasizes conservation and restoring natural ecosystems focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. The center is positioned as a hub in the community and a showcase for ecological restoration. Additionally, GIAC provides formal and informal programming and visitor experiences where all are welcome to enjoy birds and nature.
Why Are We Important: Visitation to the center is free and accessible to all people. Our mission and message are universal, and its importance is applicable to all humans. We engage and encourage conservation stewardship through participation and action. Our work and primary goal is to restore environments to ensure that natural eco-systems for life on earth remain for all to enjoy in the future.
How Do We Impact The Community?: This past year–even with COIVD the center welcomed over13,000 on-site visitors. For more than a decade, Grange Insurance Audubon Center has connected the community to nature. Over 45,000 youth have participated in our camps, conservation classrooms, and organized field trips. Additionally, we have planted over 7,000 native plants throughout Ohio. This year the center introduced a new Native Plant Backyard Challenge and exceeded the goal for participating households. Over 170 households in 22 Ohio zip codes took the challenge designed to bolster the local ecosystem, restore natural habitats, and attract birds.
How Can You Help: Your support matters and is essential. Like birds, we are all connected under one sky and by working together we can accomplish great things! Join our flock and connect with us, nature, and the birds!
Purchase a Grange Insurance Audubon Center Membership, supporting free access to the center. This joint membership with the Columbus Audubon Society provides opportunities to attend center art exhibition openings, bird hikes, outdoor concerts, speaker engagements and more!
Volunteer at the center to play an integral role in teaching visitors about birds, nature and preserving and restoring land in our community.
Participate in the Native Plant Backyard Challenge 2022
Support Grange Insurance Audubon Center through an annual fund gift. Help send a Columbus city school classroom to Conservation Classroom, grow our outdoor free concert series and host more local artists in our Art and Audubon residency program.
Connect with Grange Insurance Audubon Center
505 W. Whittier Street, Columbus OH 43055
614.545.5475
Center Director: Leigh Ann Miller
Email: Leighann.miller@audubon.org
Board President: James Taylor
