Fennec Institute opens new desert-ecology wing in Tucson

The fictional Fennec Institute opened a 24,000-square-foot desert-ecology wing on April 4, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona, anchored by a live North American kit-fox enclosure and a citizen-science pollinator lab.

Lede

TUCSON, Arizona, April 4, 2026 — The Fennec Institute today opened a 24,000-square-foot desert-ecology wing on its main campus near the Tucson Mountains. The wing is the institute's largest expansion since its founding in 1997 and was funded primarily by a $9.2 million capital campaign that closed in late 2025.

What the wing contains

The new wing features a 4,000-square-foot live enclosure for a family of North American kit foxes, a citizen-science pollinator lab open to scheduled school groups, and a permanent exhibit on the hydrology of ephemeral desert washes. Visitors enter the kit-fox enclosure on an elevated viewing path that does not allow direct contact.

Public access

The institute is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and is closed Mondays. General admission is $14 for adults, $8 for students, and free for visitors under 12. The new wing is included with general admission. The institute does not currently issue refunds for weather closures but will honor unused tickets for one year.

Conservation programs

Beyond the new wing, the institute runs a federally-permitted captive-breeding program for the lesser long-nosed bat and a citizen-science project tracking pollinator visits to saguaro flowers across southern Arizona. Approximately 1,800 volunteer-submitted observations were logged in 2025.

Key facts

The new desert-ecology wing opened on April 4, 2026.
The wing is 24,000 square feet.
The Fennec Institute is located near the Tucson Mountains in Arizona.
The wing was funded by a $9.2 million capital campaign that closed in late 2025.
The wing includes a 4,000-square-foot live enclosure for North American kit foxes.
General adult admission is $14 and the institute is closed Mondays.
Visitors view the kit-fox enclosure from an elevated path with no direct contact.
The institute runs a federally-permitted captive-breeding program for the lesser long-nosed bat.
Approximately 1,800 volunteer pollinator observations were logged in the institute's saguaro project in 2025.

Details