Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai — Local services in South Salt Lake

I was super excited to find the back gate open while on my evening walk the other day.

I was taking pictures of the new sidewalk art, along with taking photos of the signs and grounds outside the fence line, and then the next thing you know I look #AGAIN and found but to my wundering eyes, but an opening to a walkway that lead the way inside... FINALLY 😃

I was instantly greeted by a #beUTAHful employee named Erin, who told me all about the name Pia Okwai and its origin.

Erin also included additional information about the grant project and the surrounding area.

This is a nature center meant to preserve the original landscape and plants including fruit trees and various other plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, as well as provide bird tracking information for the local researchers on migration and other factual findings for the winged visitors.

There are no caged birds and or animals in this location.

I recommend if you are on foot making sure to leave well before they close the back gate, since I was on foot and not with a vehicle I had to wait for another visitor to pull up to the gate in order for the exit to open it is an automatic gate activated by a sensor.

The gates are not to be handled by hand and do provide warning of possible injury or death if tampered with.

Thankfully I was not the last person there. Otherwise it was an amazing experience for taking photos and enjoying the scenery.

I had the pleasure of also meeting Sam, who is a grounds worker, a very kind and handsome gentleman who is in fact missing part of his arm from the elbow down on both arms.

Sam was wearing prosthetic arms with hooks and was working very well outside planting new plants around.

There is a green house, a viewing tower, with an air-conditioning portal for educational experiences that provide binoculars, bird guides and numerous plaks with pictures hanging on the wall to identify the variety of possible sightings where the bird feeders are located directly outside the air-conditioning portion of the viewing tower.

There are also benches that transform into easels allowed the artist to work off of higher up on the third level and the mid level has tables for learning more and for group activities, feel free to sign the nature journal if it's still available sitting on the table with the Easter basket full of brightly painted rocks resembling Easter eggs, which is probably to keep your tracking paper from flying away or your sketch work.

The sunflowers are delightful and you can even enjoy the sound of running water coming from a spring that leads into a pond.

The landscape and habitat are designed to be in place but not to be tampered with so that the natural development of life is observable, the spring has algae in it and that's okay.

The grounds have much more to be worked on gradually however it is filling in very beautifully.

There is an amphitheater, a pagoda, two grassy areas; one of which has three picnic tables and a bbq by the bathrooms where both genders can enter either bathroom and anyone and everyone can fill their water bottles.

This is a family friendly place that has a number of events not necessarily posted on the website but if you are walking by the event sign will inform you, they even have a "Bird-leque" event as well.

Not sure what that entails there was a woman with feathers all over her for the picture event advertisement.

Cute, fun, enriching, and what I found to be exciting.

I am easily excited about nature, who isn't though. Right time right place to feel alright about life!!!

Thank you Tracey Aviary Nature Center for bringing our contributions to the table...

I've been using this Jordan River Trail access point for a few years now, and was super excited to see the development of this cute Tracy extension Nature Center!!

I hadn't been in a few months, so didn't know it'd finally opened.

Unfortunately, they have installed a massive, all surrounding fence that completely BLOCKS ACCESS TO THE TRAIL!! The only way to get to the trail from the parking lot is through the nature center itself, only when it's open during its very limited hours. There are no safe crosswalks to get across 3300 S and the trail is an underpass at that point. I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but now I park up the street in a super sketchy, secluded area that has the next closest access point to the trail.

You can currently go on their website and fill out a feedback survey, putting your thoughts into the "Other" and text boxes. You can also call the center to leave a voicemail about the impact this is having on...

A very well managed and attractive place to visit. I've only had 1bad experience here and it didn't have anything to do with the women that are running it. I recently had my backpack stolen for me and I walked through the fence which was locked even though there were people in it, and asked if somebody could please give me a glass of water. Unfortunately when I asked one of the young adults if I could please get a glass of water one of the ladies that were in charge of that group, but not working there, told the young man that he cannot give me a glass of water because it was a private events going on there. Now mind you it was almost 100°. I had nothing besides the clothes on my back and I was told I could not get a...