In the following decades, citizens developed the concept of a wildlife refuge with guidance from Aldo Leopold.

In 1985, the Nature Education Center opened with the help of private donations totaling $1.7 million.

The Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary is free and open to the public year-round.

[3] The animals who cannot survive in the wild are given a safe and permanent home in one of the many buildings on the sanctuary's campus.

The park provides a number of environmental education opportunities for school groups and other members of the community.