MWR Minute – May 2025
May has been our busiest month yet—we’ve now admitted nearly 500 patients in 2025, marking a 50% increase from this time last year. Baby season is in full swing, and our team is working around the clock to care for birds and reptiles from across Mississippi.
Nature Center Update:
Exciting Progress continues at the Valery E. Smith Nature Center, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from local businesses and volunteers.
🚚 A huge thank you to 8 Anchors Farm and C and P Site Solutions for transporting our newly built raptor enclosures to the wildlife hospital site.
🔨 Students from the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Memphis campus) and our hardworking volunteers assembled them onsite.
📸 See the build in action
🌱 Thanks to a generous donation of garden soil from Quality Landscape and Garden in Olive Branch, all planting beds for our native plant garden are prepped and ready for planting!
📸 Take a peek at our garden progress
Wildlife Hospital – By the Numbers
In May, we admitted 222 patients, including:
- 46 bird species
- 6 reptile species
📖 Click on the links below to see some of their stories:
If you come across a wild bird or reptile in distress, don’t try to care for it yourself.
📞 Call our wildlife hotline: 662-612-6455 or check out this map for a wildlife rehabber close to you: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1PhvaDB2ne/
💙 Donor Thank You
We’re so grateful to everyone who contributed in May, especially those who gave during our Wiggly Wednesday campaign to feed baby birds!
Online Donors:
Beau Edgington • Kate Friedman • Nancy Orton • Rebecca Carter • Karen S. Brown • Yvonne McCommon • Karen Wills • Cynthia Wills • David Simonton • Eowyn Riggins • Frances Loyd • Amanda Gilman • Tracy Klenk • Jessica Lee McMinn-Cotton • Audra Dockendorf • Heather Clarkson • Robert Bowersox • Erin Houston Myatt • Christina Milbourne • Bill & Tracy Hill • Marianne Wilson • Larry Green • Nicholas Richards • Irene McClain • Rebecca Terry • Josephine Falcone • Cheryl Hays • Cassandra R. Truan • Jeff Holloway • Anna Scott • Wendy Darlene Caldwell • Rebecca S. Pepper • Kellye Makamson • Natalie Rodgers • Sharon Runkel • Suzan Stewart • Melinda Turley • Natalie Bright • Mary J. Hanahan • Leah Hasselle
Wiggly Wednesday Insect Fund Donors:
Tori Orr • Tommie Rodgers • Allen Lewis • Karen S. Brown • Jean Wynne Nunnally • Melissa Wallace • Jeffrey Leathers • Mimi Cavagnaro • Dana Young • Diane Sales• Carl and April Lewis
—thank you for your generosity. You are saving lives.
💙 Want to support MWR? Donate today: MWR Donations
🛒 Prefer to donate supplies? Shop our Amazon Wishlist to send essential items directly to our center.
Summer Camp Scholarship Winners Announced!
Congratulations to Lawson Hatten and Ruth Wiewora, recipients of our 2025 Nature Explorers Summer Camp Scholarships! We can’t wait to welcome them to a week of wildlife, wonder, and learning.
📸 See the announcement
Education & Outreach: Connecting with Communities
This month, our outreach team reached hundreds of people across the region through interactive wildlife programs. From festivals to school visits, we’re sparking curiosity and compassion for Mississippi’s wild neighbors.
📍 May Outreach Highlights (click on the link to learn more):
- We had a totally terrific time at the Memphis Botanic Garden’s TrollFest
- It was positively perfect to be part of the annual Camp Creek Native Plant Nursery’s Pollinator Palooza
- MWR really enjoyed teaching the magnificent students at the Magnolia Montessori School
- Participants at our Trees & Wildlife Workshop learned why native species matter, how to select the right trees, and how thoughtful planting can support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. And as a bonus each person got to take home a native tree to plant in their own yard.
📣 Want to bring MWR to your school, group, or event?
➡️ Learn about our education programs
Upcoming Events
🌿 Nature Explorers Summer Camp
📍 June 23–27 | 9 AM–1 PM – ARK Trails
An immersive nature camp for kids ages 7–12. Each day focuses on a different animal group, with live ambassador visits, hands-on activities, and guided hikes. There is still some space available.
Register here
⛳ 2nd Annual MWR Charity Golf Tournament
📍 September 9 | 1 PM – Wedgewood Golf Club
Join us for a fun afternoon on the links and help raise critical funds for wildlife care. Become a Sponsor or register your team today!
Register and learn more
📖 Library Summer Reading Series – MWR will be participating in several Library Summer Reading Programs in June and July. Come join us at one of these locations:
- 6/3 – Phillips County, AR
- 6/6 – Sherman, MS
- 6/12 – Old Courthouse Museum, Iuka
- 6/25 – Coldwater, MS
- 6/27 – Senatobia, MS
- 7/10 – Amory, MS
Stay Connected
📍 Visit mwr.ms
💬 Follow us on Facebook for wildlife stories, tips, and event updates.
Thank you for being part of the MWR family. Together, we’re protecting Mississippi’s wild future. 🦉💚