Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Naples, Florida 2026
Nature Center Given New Life
The Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary had fallen into disrepair long enough ago that the institution lacked any memory of it being open to the public. Their electrical contractor remembered it as a kid. Our reconnaissance revealed a high-tech (for the 1990s), high-maintenance installation, wrongly suited for a nature center in a bald cypress swamp, far from technical support and supplies.
Flutter & Wow joined with staff to recreate and rebuild the Discovery Center, focused on the institution’s current interpretive goals. Working closely with scientists, operations and development staff, we gutted the old gallery and designed dozens of new exhibits, including specimens, models, taxidermy, interactive exhibits and attractive graphic design.
Flutter & Wow redesigned the room’s lighting system, replacing a heat-generating, power-hungry, theater-based system with an efficient museum-quality modular LED track system.
We breathed new life into the giant diorama, and enhanced it with visitor-selectable sound. We deployed technology where it serves the interpretive goals, and we prioritized easy maintenance.
We designed a custom app that allows visitors to browse bird species and, with the push of a button, listen to their calls. Driven by the principle of providing experiences and learning opportunities not available outdoors on the Sanctuary’s famous 2.25-mile boardwalk, we sought to appeal to visitors’ ears, sense of touch, and curiosity. We developed exhibits that allow you to get up close to tiny swamp organisms, pet different kinds of mammal fur, and watch baby alligators being fed. We worked closely with biologist and sculptor Annie Talley to create a model of Corkscrew’s celebrated “Super Ghost Orchid” and attendant sphinx moth at 5 time their actual size.
Photos by Renee Wilson & Joey Ostrander