Exhibits
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 The NACC features dozens of fascinating amphibians on exhibit and highlights the critical role these creatures play in the environment. As visitors approach the NACC from the north, they enter a fanciful courtyard complete with three water-spouting frog statues. This is a wonderful photo and play opportunity. The courtyard is adjacent to the wetland and exposes visitors to carnivorous plants and a quaking bog. Interpretive graphics outside the building are provided by the Michigan chapter of the Nature Conservancy. A boardwalk (made from recycled plastic) alongside the wetland leads people to the NACC, where a giant salamander statue in a nearby bog announces the entryway. Inside the entryway is a mosaic tile wall, with colorful images of amphibians and their habitats. As you descend slightly in elevation, a 24-ft.-long flowing wall of water on the right-hand side helps strengthen the tie between amphibians and their typically aquatic habitats. Frog calls are heard here, as well as throughout other  parts of the building. On the left-hand side of the entry hallway, three live-animal exhibits introduce visitors to representatives of each living amphibian order. The next exhibit includes a South American lungfish and Surinam toads to tell the story of amphibian evolution. Large exhibits for the bullfrog life cycle and axolotls discuss metamorphosis and paedomorphosis.
 The orientation theater is next, located to the right. This circular room has multimedia capabilities and is open to the public when not being used for school groups or other presentations. Seating is available for up to 35 people, and a 12-minute film by Academy-award-winning producer Sue Marx highlights the role and plight of amphibians in the ecosystem. At the end of the film, the shades rise and visitors look out into the recreated wetland through glass walls. A demonstration pond appears to be continuous with the pond outside the glass wall and features tadpoles and aquatic plants and salamanders.
As you exit this area, a model egg exhibit compares the various types of vertebrate eggs. Visitors then enter the ecosystem gallery, which highlights the role of amphibians in their environments. A 22-foot long see-through tank represents a typical Michigan amphibian habitat, and a 'spongy' recycled rubber flooring suggests the illusion of walking through a marsh. The low (3 ft high) exhibit front allows people the opportunity to see above as well as below the water surface. A rain chamber exhibit is used to induce amphibians to breed and discusses the importance of precipitation to amphibian reproduction.
 Exiting this area, visitors pass the stratification cylinder, an exhibit in the form of a dead tree that shows how amphibians partition a habitat vertically, from caecilians in a worm-farm type setup at the base, dart-poison frogs on the ground, to hylid frogs in the trees at the top. Next is the conservation gallery, which features rare and endangered amphibians from around the world. The highlight is a 20-foot long cutaway-bank exhibit for Japanese giant salamanders. Hellbenders and Puerto Rican crested toads are also prominently featured.
A cave ecosystem, complete with dripping water and stalagmites and stalactites, features several species of cave salamanders, and forms the transition into the diversity gallery, which explores the variations in anuran size, shape, and color. Featured here are Panamanian golden frogs, Wyoming toads, mountain chickens, golden and blue dart-poison frogs, and painted mantellas and tomato frogs.
 The culture corner explores the history of interactions between humans and amphibians, from Shamanism and witchcraft to modern medicine and pop culture. A computer terminal allows visitors to surf declining-amphibian websites, and a monitor provides a peek at keepers working behind the scenes.
One of the main attractions of the building is an expansive immersion gallery where visitors can stroll through a recreated rainforest ecosystem with free-ranging animals, such as dart-poison frogs, lizards, tortoises, stingrays, and various invertebrates. A boardwalk leads visitors around trees, ferns, bromeliads and orchids, and simulated rainstorms complete with rain, wind, fog, thunder and lightning adds to the experience.
The Michigan gallery showcases our backyard native amphibians. It features native species, such as gray treefrogs and wood frogs, mudpuppies, leopard frogs, American toads, cricket frogs, and red-spotted newts, as well as spotted and tiger salamanders. Graphics discuss where these animals can be found in Michigan, as well as threats to their well-being and their adaptations to over-wintereing. A pushbutton interactive, funded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Fund, allows visitors to hear the calls of all Michigan's native frogs and toads.
As visitors exit the building, interpretive graphics discuss how people can co-exist with amphibians. |
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