About
Rusk Ranch Nature Center Youth Programs include activities such as the Butterfly Pavilion, Hummingbird Garden, Nature Discovery Play, Missing Links Mini Golf Discovery Trail, a Natural Playground, interpretive trails, and an interactive Nature Discovery Center with hands-on nature-based exhibits. The programs also include the Pollywog Playgroup, youth partnership programs, Volunteer Days, workshops, internships, Nature Service, outdoor recreational activities, the Butterfly Flyway Project, and restoration of wetlands. The Butterfly Pavilion features native butterflies of Josephine County and is open in summertime from May through October when in season.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Pollywog Playgroup typically meets 10:00am–12:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays most of the year, and the Butterfly Pavilion season runs May–October with summer and fall hours on selected days
• Price: When open in late May, entry is $8 for adults 18 and older, $5 for youth ages 5–17, and free for children 4 and under; 2020 season memberships are $25 for an individual and $35 for a family (two adults, two children)
In 2007 the organization received a donation of 50 acres of rural property in the Illinois Valley of Southern Oregon. The mission of Rusk Ranch Nature Center is to promote the wellbeing of residents of the community and conserve nature, and to benefit the community with enrichment, jobs, housing, and opportunities for the public, particularly young people, to appreciate the natural world, instill a sense of stewardship toward the earth and its inhabitants, and preserve and conserve nature and wildlife. The organization states that its policies and practices provide equal opportunity in leadership, staffing, and service and that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical circumstances, age, status as a veteran, or national origin. Rusk Ranch Nature Center is a SILVER Guidestar Exchange Participant.
The leadership team includes Kaci Elder (President), Chad Free (Secretary, Children’s Programs Advisor), Susan Taylor (Treasurer), Patricia Downing (Board Member, Executive Director), Divonna Ratliff (Board Member, Exhibits Advisor), Erica Clark (Board Member, Operations Coordinator), Carol Nye (Board Member, Nature Service Volunteer), and Diana Hailey (Board Member, Exhibits Volunteer). The center acknowledges support from sponsors and foundations such as The Carpenter Foundation, The Fourway Community Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust Foundation, The Gray Family Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Illinois Valley Watershed Council, Illinois Valley Family Coalition, Evergreen Federal Bank, and several individual supporters. The center reports work on restoring wetlands, creating habitat for wildlife, and providing protected areas for endangered species.
Last updated December 28, 2025.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Pollywog Playgroup typically meets 10:00am–12:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays most of the year, and the Butterfly Pavilion season runs May–October with summer and fall hours on selected days
• Price: When open in late May, entry is $8 for adults 18 and older, $5 for youth ages 5–17, and free for children 4 and under; 2020 season memberships are $25 for an individual and $35 for a family (two adults, two children)
In 2007 the organization received a donation of 50 acres of rural property in the Illinois Valley of Southern Oregon. The mission of Rusk Ranch Nature Center is to promote the wellbeing of residents of the community and conserve nature, and to benefit the community with enrichment, jobs, housing, and opportunities for the public, particularly young people, to appreciate the natural world, instill a sense of stewardship toward the earth and its inhabitants, and preserve and conserve nature and wildlife. The organization states that its policies and practices provide equal opportunity in leadership, staffing, and service and that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical circumstances, age, status as a veteran, or national origin. Rusk Ranch Nature Center is a SILVER Guidestar Exchange Participant.
The leadership team includes Kaci Elder (President), Chad Free (Secretary, Children’s Programs Advisor), Susan Taylor (Treasurer), Patricia Downing (Board Member, Executive Director), Divonna Ratliff (Board Member, Exhibits Advisor), Erica Clark (Board Member, Operations Coordinator), Carol Nye (Board Member, Nature Service Volunteer), and Diana Hailey (Board Member, Exhibits Volunteer). The center acknowledges support from sponsors and foundations such as The Carpenter Foundation, The Fourway Community Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust Foundation, The Gray Family Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Illinois Valley Watershed Council, Illinois Valley Family Coalition, Evergreen Federal Bank, and several individual supporters. The center reports work on restoring wetlands, creating habitat for wildlife, and providing protected areas for endangered species.
Last updated December 28, 2025.
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