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The Florence Wild Rivers Interpretive Center |
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 The
Florence Wild Rivers Interpretive Center is located within the
Florence Natural Resources Center Building at the corner of US 2
and Highway 70/101 in Florence, WI. It is the source for tourist
and visitor information relative to all of Florence County. The
building also contains offices for the
USDA Forest Service, the
Wisconsin DNR, the
University of Wisconsin Extension and the
Florence County Forestry and Parks Department.The Interpretive Center is seen as a focal point for the discussion and promotion of balanced resource utilization. Education and cooperation are the guiding principles for these efforts. Displays communicate the that integrated forest management is essential for a sustained yield of diverse products, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and to maintain a healthy forest for future generations. All donations and profits from sales at Wild Rivers Treasures are used at the center. They are used directly for exhibits, supplies, services and for programs. To date these sales have accounted for over $15,000 in exhibit purchases. The Center presents 10 public Environmental Stewardship Programs per year as well as three Annual Events to promote environmental education. Recently a Nature Naturally program, a supplemental environmental education program, was established by the Friends of the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center to help educate area youth.  An excellent example of the educational exhibits in the
Interpretive Center is the albino buck. A 7 1/2 year old true
albino whitewall buck like the one on display at the Florence
Wild Rivers Interpretive Center is extremely rare. Few deer live
out their potential life span of 11 or 12 years. Very few bucks
even reach their prime of 4 1/2 years. A true albino occurs in
about one of 100,000 births and very few survive beyond the
first year of life. For an albino to live over seven years is
extremely unusual. This albino whitetail buck that was seen near
Florence between 1987 and the fall of 1992 and was killed on the
last day of the 1992 deer/gun hunting season is a one in a
million occurrence. All cases of true albinism are due to the
lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin, and, in the case of
deer, the iris of the eyes, pink or blue, and the hoofs a pale
gray. This particular buck because of his unusual age weighed
225 pounds and had an eight point rack with a 22 inch spread,
making it among the larger deer killed in the 1992 gun season.
Since all white deer are protected in Wisconsin, the shooting of
this albino was illegal. Recognizing the rarity of this
whitetail as a biological specimen and the importance of this
animal to the people of Florence, the conservation warden
immediately took it to North Star Taxidermy to be properly
preserved. He then contacted the agency heads at the Florence
Natural Resources Center to determine if they would find it a
home in the Interpretive Center. On November 6, 1993, at the
Wild Rivers Interpretive Center the full seven foot mount was
unveiled to the public where it can still be viewed today.This Albino Buck is only one of natures wonders on display at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center in Florence, Wisconsin. The Center is located at the corner of Hwy 141 and Hwy 101/70 in the town of Florence. For more information: Call (888)889-0049 |
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Mural of LaSalle Falls |
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