Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center

Opened in October 2009, the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center is a nature center in the heart of the City of Phoenix’s Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, a 600-acre park along the historic Salt River. Located less then two miles from downtown Phoenix, the Center is a gateway to a lush Sonoran riparian habitat used by over 200 species of birds and other wildlife—beavers, muskrats, coyotes, jackrabbits, cottontails, and javelinas—to name a few. The free admission Center offers interactive exhibits, an interpretive loop, connections to the Rio Salado Habitat’s sixteen miles of hiking and riding trails and a variety of hands-on nature programs, including beginning birding classes and bird walks, school field trip programs and more. Click here for more information about the Center’s programs. Designed by Weddle Gilmore Architects, the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center is a green building and received Platinum LEED certification this summer. The Center’s sustainable features include a photovoltaic system, a waste water recycling system, low water use fixtures, pervious surfaces and bioswales to capture rain and run-off water and energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems.