Open 361 Days a Year: Admissions 10:00am – 3:30pm; park closes at 4:30pm
Welcome to the Western North Carolina Nature Center!
Each month during our centennial year, we’ll be interviewing people who have had an impact on the Nature Center. This month’s Q&A is with Kate Frost, the Executive Director of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center.
What is your role at the Nature Center?
I’m the Executive Director of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center.
How did your journey with the WNC Nature Center begin?
I grew up here in Asheville and visited the WNC Nature Center as a child. In fact, many of our current employees at the WNC Nature Center and the Friends of the WNC Nature Center were visitors as children! I’ve always loved animals, and I jumped at the opportunity to put my passion and purpose together and become the Friends’ Development Director in 2019. Three years later, I became the Executive Director of this incredible organization!
Can you share a favorite memory or experience at the Nature Center that stands out to you?
My favorite memory has to be the first time I brought my niece to visit the WNC Nature Center. I’ve always enjoyed visiting with friends and other adults, but to see the zoo through her little eyes was such an adventure in itself. As a two year old, she called all the predator cats “meows” and the wolves “woofs.” Now she’s eleven years old and has participated in all the fun Nature Center experiences, including summer camp, Junior Wolf Howl, and school field trips.
What has been the greatest reward of your involvement with the Nature Center?
When I was a little girl, I made business cards saying I was the Keeper of the Lions, Tigers, and Bears. As I grew up, my career path didn’t guide me toward animal care, but my love for animals never waned. To be able to come full circle after almost twenty years as a nonprofit fundraising professional and get to play a role in protecting wildlife where I grew up is a dream I didn’t think would become reality. No, I’m not an animal keeper, but in my own way, I am taking care of them by supporting their conservation.
In your view, how does the Nature Center go beyond being a zoo?
The WNC Nature Center goes beyond being a zoo because it combines animal care, conservation, education, and community engagement into a single, powerful mission. Each part supports the others, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Together, we’re inspiring people, protecting wildlife, and strengthening our connection to the natural world and each other.
What do you think the Nature Center’s 100-year legacy means to the community?
We’ve come a long way in one hundred years! I love that we’ve grown and changed during this journey. Over the decades, the Nature Center has evolved to reflect the vision of the local community by embracing challenges and learning lessons that strengthened our mission. It’s a place of lifelong learning, where people connect with wildlife, deepen their understanding of nature, and take part in protecting the environment for generations to come.
What role do you see education playing in the future of wildlife conservation? What does this mean locally?
Education sparks curiosity. It transforms wildlife conservation from something that scientists and zoos do into something that whole communities live. The WNC Nature Center and the Friends are empowering our community to understand that protecting native wildlife is a long-term commitment that is worth the investment. Today’s curious child learning about the natural world around them could be tomorrow’s biologist, policymaker, or environmental educator.
If you could be any animal at the Nature Center, which one would you be and why?
I’d have to say red panda. My first week on the job was also the first week that Leafa and Phoenix were introduced to the public at the WNC Nature Center, so that’ll always be a special memory.
And I love taking naps, so it feels like a natural fit!
What’s one surprising fact about the Nature Center that most people don’t know?
The WNC Nature Center plays an active role in the conservation of the critically endangered American Red Wolf as a breeding site. In fact, when our nine Red Wolf pups were born in March 2023, they and their parents comprised about 5 percent of the entire population of Red Wolves under human care! That’s a huge accomplishment for a smaller zoo!
Describe the Nature Center in 3 words
Wild
Natural
Beloved
Are you interested in learning more about becoming a board member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center? Email Kate at [email protected]. Want to learn more about how to become a volunteer? Visit wildwnc.org/volunteer.
More Than A Zoo: Highlighting the personal connections and the broader impact of the WNC Nature Center in its 100th year This
More Than A Zoo: Highlighting the personal connections and the broader impact of the WNC Nature Center in its 100th year Each
More Than A Zoo: Highlighting the personal connections and the broader impact of the WNC Nature Center in its 100th year Each
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