Jamestown, N.Y. – Autumn chills will be arriving soon. 

When you are digging out last year’s sweaters, if you find any wool or wool-blend ones that are a bit worn or no longer fit, Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) invites you to donate them to Audubon for upcycling.

Upcycling is a form of recycling where an item that would otherwise be thrown away is given a new use in life. Rather than recycle using a recycling bin, creativity is used to update and renew old items.

ACNC Volunteer Ann Thorpe will repurpose your sweaters into beautiful sweater-mittens to sell in Audubon’s Blue Heron Gift Shop, as was done last year. 

Any excess sweaters not used for mittens will be donated to charity during Audubon’s winter clothing drive. 

Gently loved wool and wool-blend sweaters can be dropped off at the Nature Center’s reception desk during regular open hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 14:30 p.m. 

The hand-knitted mittens will be available for purchase in the Blue Heron Gift Shop from November through the holidays.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. Anyone can enjoy the grounds, with its six miles of trails, and view Liberty, Audubon’s non-releasable Bald Eagle, dawn to dusk daily, free of charge. 

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the new Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Nature Center members enjoy free building admission daily, and building admission is free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members as well. 

For ACNC’s most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which include information on face coverings and gathering limitations, visit AudubonCNC.org and read the COVID-19 Notice at the top of the page.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org. All visitors, volunteers, and staff are required to wear face coverings while inside the building. Any updates to these requirements can be found at the COVID-19 Notice on that webpage.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.

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